By IANS,
Chandigarh: Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda Thursday urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to announce a bonus of Rs.200 per quintal over and above the minimum support price (MSP) for paddy this season (2011-12).
In a letter to the prime minister, Hooda requested him to reconsider the decision of the central government to enhance the MSP of paddy by just Rs.80 per quintal over last year’s MSP.
“The MSP announced is not adequate to cover the cost of production of paddy. We had recommended to the Government of India to fix Rs.1,350 per quintal for common, Rs.1,450 for fine and Rs.1,550 for superfine varieties of paddy as the MSP,” Hooda said.
The central government has fixed the MSP at Rs.1,080 for common varieties and Rs.1,110 for Grade A varieties this year.
Hooda said a Rs.200 per quintal bonus is necessary for all varieties to ensure remunerative prices to farmers.
Food grain states Punjab and Haryana jointly contribute over 70 percent of the total food grain to the national kitty.