Hyderabad, June 14: The All India Kisan Sabha, affiliated to the CPI, has expressed serious concern at and disapproval of the declaration of minimum support prices by the Centre for the important agricultural produces for the coming period.
The MSP announced for the paddy, groundnut, sunflower and other produce were insufficient and not based on growing input costs prevailing in the market, said AIKS national president CK Chandrappan.
Speaking to reporters here today, he demanded that the Centre should reconsider the MSP once again.
He said that the multinational and big seed companies were squeezing farmers.
The multinational seed companies were selling the seed at very high rates and the seed supplied them often fails.
The net result was that it was the farmer who suffers financially and production also get affected, Chandrappan said.
The AIKS demanded that the Centre should fix the MSP basing on the recommendations of National Commission on Farmers, headed by Swaminathan. It also demanded that the MSP for paddy be increased from Rs 980 per quintal to Rs 1,500.
It urged the Centre to release Rs 1 lakh crore to construct irrigation projects across the nation.
It also urged the Centre to take effective steps and direct the banks and cooperative banks to rescheduled the farm loans in the country.
The national conference of coconut farmers will be held in Kakinada on September 5 and 6, and the 28th national conference of All India Kisan Sabha from December 9 to 12 at Aurangabad in Maharashtra.
AIKS general secretary Atul Kumar Anjaan, vice-president Kolli Nageswara Rao, AP Ryotu Sangham president K Rama Krishna and general secretary Ravula Venkaiah were present.
–Agencies