Legal Guarantee on MSP – MSP will not end even on the legal guarantee of MSP.

The Bhagwant Maan government has removed both the ways sitting on the Shambhu and Khanouri border between Punjab and Haryana, and the government has evacuated both the roads. But after this, there are demonstrations against the Punjab government in the entire state. There is anger against CM Bhagwant Mann and Aam Aadmi Party convenor Arvind Kejriwal. United Kisan Morcha-M-Politics has decided to continue the movement on its 12 demands. In which the minimum support price ie MSP’s guarantee is prominent. The central government has held seven rounds of talks with the people about this and the date of May 4 has been fixed for the eighth round. But here, the big question here is whether the MSP will get justice to all the governments with the law of guarantee. This question is arising because some states are benefiting from the existing Ganit to decide the MSP and some are suffering a lot of losses.

The issue in the first episode is that when the cost of crops in every state comes different, then why is the rate of MSP the same at the national level? When the minamim veg is different then why is MSP one, when the MNREGA wage operated by the Center is different, then why is MSP one, that too when the central government itself accepts the cost of crop production in all the states. Even the price of diesel and machinery is different, then how can an MSP be practical for the whole country. Why will the farmers of the states have losses from the current MSP or do not benefit much, why will they be involved in the war of MSP Guarantee Act?

Who deficit and who profits

Let us first consider the cost and profits in the mirror of government data. The Center has fixed the MSP of wheat at Rs 2,425 per quintal for the Rabi marketing season 2025-26 starting from April. According to the Agricultural Costs and Prices Commission (CACP), the cost of wheat in Punjab comes only at Rs 869 per quintal. This is the lowest in the country. That is, the farmers of Punjab will get the benefit of Rs 1556 per quintal in selling wheat on MSP. In Haryana, farmers have to spend only Rs 1011 per quintal wheat. In this way, there will be an benefit of Rs 1414 here.

Now come to Maharashtra, where the cost of producing a quintal of wheat comes to Rs 2381. Now if the MSP will be available here at the rate of Rs 2,425 per quintal, then the farmers of the state will get only Rs 44 per quintal even after getting the legal guarantee of the MSP. Therefore, the MSP of wheat has no meaning for the people here.

The production cost of the country’s largest wheat producer Uttar Pradesh is Rs 1277. In this way, farmers will get only Rs 1148 per quintal by selling wheat on MSP here. It costs Rs 1744 to grow a quintal wheat in Himachal Pradesh. In this way, only Rs 681 will be benefited from MSP here.

Similarly, in the last kharif marketing season 2024-25, the MSP of paddy was Rs 2300 per quintal for the entire country. The farmers of Punjab were getting the cost of paddy Rs 907 per quintal. That is, the farmers of Punjab benefited by Rs 1393 per quintal. The cost in Haryana is Rs 1331 per quintal. This means that the farmers here benefited from Rs 969 per quintal for selling paddy on MSP.

On the other hand, the cost of generating paddy per quintal in Maharashtra was much higher than the MSP to Rs 3057 per quintal. Therefore, the MSP of paddy was not of any use for the farmers there. Even if the legal guarantee of the MSP of paddy is found, the Kisan of Maharashtra will remain in losses. However, in some districts of the state, condition is such that paddy is forced to cultivate.

On the other hand, farmers of Kerala had to spend an average of Rs 1888 to produce a quintal paddy. In this way, even if the people get the guarantee of MSP here, only Rs 412 will be benefited per quintal. We have taken all the figures of production costs from CACP to cost crops. We have talked about paddy and wheat only because the government spends most of the budget kept for the MSP on these two crops.

What is nickel?

The conclusion is that Punjab and Haryana are benefiting the most by selling two major crops wheat and paddy on MSP. Despite this, the Kisan of this place is repeatedly coming on the road. It has been revealed in our respected that in the year 2022-23, about 33 percent of the total amount spent by the Center on the MSP was given to Punjab and Hariyana. Due to this benefit, the farmers have produced indiscriminate paddy and wheat, except for pulses, tilahan and coarse grains. The side effects of which are being seen as the end of the water and land going to the Hades. But the issue is why there is so much discrimination about MSP? When will there be justice to the rest of the state’s farmers?

Big question than MSP guarantee

Actually, CACP works to decide the MSP. This institution decides the MSP by removing the average of the demand-supply situation, domestic and global market price trends and input costs of different states. The recommendations of the states are sidelined. However, the CACP itself has told in all its reports how the cost of the same crop is different in every state. Then the question arises as to why MSP is one? When will I talk about this? When will this issue be talked about in Parliament?

The question is also whether the present system of MSP is not able to connect the farmers of the whole country. Even if the guarantee is found, will farmers of other states be benefited except Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana? Actually, the big question of guarantee on MSP is about discrimination, due to which only one MSP is being imposed to farmers who spend less and high cost.

Why the cost is less

Now some people will have the question that the crop is one, then how does the cost decrease and increase in every state. Actually, the cost of workers in every state is different, machines, fertilizers, water, pesticides, working capital, land rental value and seeds are different. Somewhere water is very valuable, somewhere it is getting free.

Somewhere electricity is free for farming, then money has to be paid for it. In some states, crop insurance is free and in some farmers have to pay themselves. That is why the cost of the same crop is more in any state. The scale of deciding the MSP is quite defective. This leads to injustice to the farmers of those states in which the cost is high.