Agri Min proposes Rs 50/qtl MSP hike in paddy, cotton & tur

New Delhi, Apr 24. The Agriculture Ministry has proposed a moderate hike in the minimum support price (MSP) of paddy by Rs 50 to Rs 1360/quintal for the 2014-15 crop year (July- June) and upto Rs 100/quintal raise in pulses MSP. The ministry has also proposed a Rs 50 per quintal increase in cotton MSP at Rs 3750 for medium staple and Rs 4050 for long staple for 2014-15 crop year, sources said. The Agriculture Ministry's recommendations on MSP of paddy, cotton and other 12 kharif crops are in line with the suggestions made by the government's statutory body Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP), sources said. A Cabinet note has been moved for inter-ministerial comments. A final call on the MSP proposal would be taken post elections by the new government. According to sources, the Agriculture Ministry has proposed increase in the paddy MSP by Rs 50 to Rs 1360/quintal for common variety and a raise of Rs 55 raise to Rs 1400/quintal for 'grade A' variety of paddy for the 2014-15 crop year. A moderate increase in paddy MSP has been recommended keeping in view the excessive stock of rice in the government godowns, sources said. With regard to other cereals, the ministry has suggested a marginal hike in maize MSP by Rs 30 at Rs 1530/quintal for hybrid variety and Rs 1550/quintal for maldandi variety for this year as its MSP was raised sharply two years back. Similarly, it has suggested a Rs 50 raise in ragi MSP at Rs 1550/quintal for 2014-15 from over last year. However, the ministry has recommended retaining the existing MSP of bajra and maize at Rs 1250/quintal and Rs 1310/quintal, respectively, for 2014-15 crop year. It has also proposed keeping the MSP of groundnut and soyabean unchanged for this year at Rs 4000/quintal and Rs 2500-2560/quintal, respectively. As far as pulses are concerned, the Agriculture Ministry has recommended a Rs 50 hike in the support price of 'Tur' and 'Urad' at Rs 4350/quintal each for 2014-15. The ministry has recommended a Rs 100 increase in MSP of 'Moong' at Rs 4600 per quintal for this year to keep inter-crop parity within kharif (summer) pulses. With regard to oilseeds, the ministry has proposed to keep groundnut and soyabean MSP unchanged for 2014-15. However, it has suggested an increase of Rs 50 in the support price of sunflower seed at Rs 3750/quintal from over last year, besides Rs 100 hike each in MSP of sesamum and nigerseed at Rs 4600 and Rs 3600/quintal, respectively, for this year. Sowing in the kharif (summer) season begins with the start of the south west monsoon from June and harvesting will commence from October.