Rethinking Agricultural Pricing Mechanisms

On February 13, groups of farmers began a march to New Delhi, to press for fulfilment of their demands, which include a legal guarantee for purchasing crops at Minimum Support Price (MSP) and India’s withdrawal from the World Trade Organization (WTO) which, they allege, places pressure on the Centre for drafting policies for procurement and MSP. While the Centre has fixed MSP for 23 farm commodities, it is implemented mostly for rice and wheat mainly because India has vast storage facilities for these grains and uses the produce for its public distribution system (PDS). The Union government has repeatedly asserted that a legal guarantee for MSP will not be possible.

Should MSP be legalised? Here we discuss the question.

Guests: Lakhwinder Singh, Professor at the Department of Economics, Punjabi University, Patiala; Siraj Hussain, former Union Agriculture Secretary and adviser of FICCI

Host: A.M. Jigeesh