By IANS,
Chandigarh : Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda Saturday urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to hike the minimum support price (MSP) for paddy to at least Rs.1,200 per quintal from the already announced rate of Rs.850.
In a letter to the prime minister, Hooda said the MSP for coarse variety of paddy should be RS.1,200 per quintal, Rs.1,300 for fine quality and Rs.1,400 for the super fine quality.
Hooda urged the prime minister to make an early announcement for hiking the paddy MSP so that more farmers sow paddy. He said this will contribute to the foodgrains stock of the country and also help exports.
Hooda demanded that the ban on export on Pusa-1121 variety of rice imposed by the central government last year should also be lifted. He pointed out that the Pusa-1121 variety rice is quite similar to the Basmati rice and was not consumed by the common man.
He said lifting the ban on export of this rice variety will help farmers earn more. He said this variety was not part of the government’s public distribution system (PDS) and the ban was not justified.