New Delhi, December 16, 2024, Nirmesh Singh: Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan, convened pre-budget consultations with various stakeholders at Krishi Bhawan on Monday. The meeting, aimed at gathering input for the upcoming Union Budget, saw the participation of farmers, agricultural entrepreneurs, organizations linked to agriculture, Farmer Producer Associations, and other key players in the agricultural sector.

However, a significant omission from the discussions was the demand for a Minimum Support Price (MSP) guarantee law.

During the meeting, Shri Chouhan highlighted the importance of the insights provided by farmers and other stakeholders, emphasizing that their first-hand experience in the field is invaluable for improving farming practices. The discussions focused on several crucial areas, including enhancing value addition in agriculture, boosting agricultural exports, advancing agricultural research, and ensuring the affordability and quality of farming inputs. Participants also underscored the need to safeguard farmers from financial losses.

In his address, Chouhan also outlined new initiatives being considered by the government to further support farmers. One such initiative is the organization of Kisan Panchayats, a successful program that was implemented in Madhya Pradesh during Chouhan’s tenure as Chief Minister. The minister assured stakeholders that the government would continue to engage in open communication with the agriculture community to better understand their needs.

“The feedback and suggestions received from today’s meeting will be thoroughly reviewed and shared with the Finance Minister as part of our preparations for the upcoming budget,” Agriculture Minister Chouhan said.

“The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare is also conducting an in-depth internal review to finalize its budget proposals, which will be submitted to the Finance Ministry soon,” he added.

Dharmendra Malik, national spokesperson of the Bhartiya Kisan Union, also presented a set of suggestions, including a recommendation for recalculating MSP to C2+1.5 times, emphasizing the gap between A2+FL and C2 costs.

“The Minimum Support Price (MSP) should be set as a reserve price, similar to the pricing mechanism used for sugar”, he added. However, he did not advocate for a legal guarantee for MSP.

The meeting was attended by senior officials, including Dr. Devesh Chaturvedi, Secretary of the Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, as well as representatives from ICAR, NABARD, CII, PHD Chamber of Commerce, ASSOCHAM, State Bank of India, and the Soybean Processors Association of India.

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