Vegetable to sell on MRP soon? RSS-linked farmer union expresses its demands before Modi govt's Budget 2018

The IIP, CPI numbers had also been released by the Central Statistics Office on Friday. These are the final numbers that needed to be take into consideration before Narendra Modi led government will present its Budget 2018 on February 1. 

And while the analysts expect the government to announce sops and welfare schemes in wake of general elections in 2019, the RSS-linked farmer organisation, Bhartiya Kisan Sangh has demanded the government to fix maximum retail prices (MRPs) to be fixed for farm produce. 

"The government needs to cap the prices of vegetables and other farm produce. It is unfair that a farmer sells tomato at Rs 5 per kg, but the same it sold at mandis (markets) for Rs 30. The cost rises to Rs 50 per kg by the time it reaches the consumer. A farmer purchases all raw materials at maximum retail price, but sells the produce at minimum retail price," Mohini Mohan Mishra, national secretary of the Bhartiya Kisan Sangh told News18. 

"Farmers are not getting profitable price for their produce. Mandis are not taking the produce at the MSP. In fact, farmers end up getting less than the MSP at mandis," he said.

At present only two states, Punjab and Haryana have minimum support price (MSP) for perishable goods like vegetables. 

Mishra said that the government should take all major crops under the MSP. Currently, there are only 23 major crops that come under MSP. 

There is a consensus in the country that farmers’ incomes instead of increasing have either declined or have remained stagnant. 

Even the union agriculture minister acknowledged that minimum support prices are not being received by the farmers in many crops.

Some analysts have suggested that instead of the central government meeting 60 per cent of procurement, it should meet 90 per cent of the cost because of a budget squeeze in most of the states. Many farmer associations have also endorsed the recommendation of Swaminathan commission of a 50 per cent margin on the cost of production.

The Budget session of Parliament will commence from January 29 and conclude on April 6.

"The President has summoned the Rajya Sabha to meet on Monday, January 29. Subject to exigencies of business, the session is scheduled to conclude on Friday, April 6," a Rajya Sabha Secretariat statement read.

The Lok Sabha Secretariat in a statement said that in order to enable standing committees to consider the demands for grants of ministries and prepare reports, the House will adjourn on February 9 to meet again on March 5.

The President will address both the Houses in the Central Hall of Parliament House on January 29.

The CCPA had recommended that the Budget session begin from January 29 and conclude on April 6.