A quiet transformation took place in India’s rural economy within five years of MSP’s introduction. All doubts about India's ability to feed itself were laid to rest.
Some of the heated debates now playing out in Pakistan mirror those that followed Modi’s 2020 farm law announcement. But in Pakistan, the reforms are tied to IMF loan conditions.
Committee has also suggested real-time crop monitoring, district-level stubble collection centres and biomass incentives for better crop residue management.
The Jagjit Singh Dallewal-led agitation for ‘legal MSP’ is a pale shadow of the 2020-21 movement against new farm laws. MSP may not be as salient today as it once was.
Five countries led by US estimate that India provides support to its rice and wheat farmers ‘vastly in excess’ of what it reports to WTO. India has refuted all allegations.
Farmers should be treated as businessmen deserving of fair compensation for their produce, instead of being subjected to inadequate payments under welfare programmes like PM-KISAN.
The research report also pointed out that only few states benefit from govt's procurement policy. It added that a legal guarantee for MSP would lead to the neglect of non-MSP crops.
The state registered a steep drop in procurement from 70.69 lakh metric tonnes last year to only 47.69 LMT in 2024-25 despite the MP govt announcing a Rs 125 bonus per quintal.
Majority of economists oppose government-fixed MSPs that use cost-plus pricing as they think that supporting farmers with 'income' rather than 'price' is preferable.
The Situation Assessment Survey of agricultural households says that 40-50% of ‘farmers not insuring their crops’ do so simply because they are not aware of crop insurance.
Nick Jonas is not trying to modernise the mangalsutra, but his gesture shows that choices can be equal. If commitment must be flaunted, it need not be gendered.
COMMENTS