The Modi government established the MSP committee after a year-long farmers’ protest in 2020-21, demanding a law to ensure minimum support prices (MSP). Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced in Rajya Sabha that the government is still awaiting the committee’s report on MSP for farm produce and will decide once the recommendations are received.
Responding to Samajwadi Party’s Ramji Lal Suman’s inquiry about the possibility of introducing a law to legally guarantee MSPs in the current session, Chouhan stated that the committee was created with clear goals. These included ensuring MSP for farmers, granting more autonomy to the commission for agricultural costs and prices, and enhancing marketing for better price realization.
Chouhan’s statement ignited protests from the Opposition, who accused him of avoiding a direct question. Chouhan countered by saying the previous Manmohan Singh-led UPA government had dismissed the Swaminathan Commission’s recommendation for MSPs to offer 50% returns over cultivation costs. He cited a cabinet note from July 28, 2007, stating that the Congress-led government had rejected the suggestion due to potential market distortions.
Despite the heated debate, Chouhan reaffirmed the government’s commitment to farmers, emphasizing efforts to improve and double farm incomes under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership.
The Swaminathan panel, formed by the Manmohan Singh government to make agriculture more productive, submitted five reports between December 2004 and October 2006. Congress MP Randeep Singh Surjewala criticized Chouhan’s response, accusing him of evading the straightforward question on the legal guarantee for MSPs.
