NEW DELHI: In a bonanza for farmers, the government on Wednesday announced an increase of Rs 143 in the minimum support price (MSP) of paddy to Rs 2,183 per quintal for this year, the second steepest increase in the last decade. The highest increase in the paddy MSP in the last 10 years was by Rs 200 per quintal in 2018-19.
For 2023-24 kharif crops, MSP has been increased in the range of 5.3 to 10.35 per cent, and in absolute terms it has been increased by Rs 128 to Rs 805 per quintal.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday approved MSP of all mandated kharif crops that are grown in 2023-24 crop year and procured in Kharif Marketing Season (October-September).
Briefing media later, Food Minister Piyush Goyal said: “Farmers will benefit from the increase in the MSP at a time when the retail inflation is in a declining trend.”
“In agriculture, we have been fixing MSP from time to time based on the recommendations of CACP (Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices). The increase in MSP of the kharif crops for this year is highest compared to the previous years,” he added.
In kharif cereals, MSP of the ‘common grade’ paddy has been increased by 7 per cent (Rs 143) to Rs 2,183 per quintal for 2023-24 from Rs 2,040 in the previous year. The support price of ‘A’ grade variety of paddy has been raised by Rs 143 to Rs 2,203 per quintal from Rs 2,060.
Jowar (hybrid) and jowar (maldandi) MSP have been fixed at Rs 3,180 and Rs 3,225 per quintal respectively, which are 7 per cent and 7.85 per cent higher than Rs 2,970 and Rs 2,990 in 2022-23.
Maize MSP has increased by 6.5 per cent to Rs 2,090 per quintal for 2023-24 from Rs 1,962 per quintal in 2022-23. The MSP for ragi has been increased by 7.49 per cent to 3,846 per quintal for 2023-23 from Rs 3,578 per quintal in 2022-23.
Paddy is the main kharif crop, the sowing of which normally begins with the onset of southwest monsoon. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has projected a normal monsoon for the June-September period despite the evolving El Nino conditions.
Asked about the double-digit inflation in cereals, Goyal said the inflation is lower than other countries, while stressing that this is reflective of a rise in demand for cereals owing to an increase in income.
The PM has given high priority to check food inflation, which is much under control compared to other countries, he said, adding that a group of ministers under Home Minister Amit Shah regularly meets to take stock of the situation.
Among pulses, moong has seen the maximum increase of 10.35 per cent in MSP at Rs 8,558 per quintal in 2023-24 from Rs 7,755 per quintal in 2022-23.
Tur support price has been increased by 6.06 per cent to Rs 7,000 per quintal from Rs 6,600 per quintal, while that of urad MSP has been raised by 5.3 per cent to Rs 6,950 per quintal from Rs 6,600 per quintal in the said period.
In oilseeds, sesamum MSP saw a increase of 10.28 per cent Rs 8,635 per quintal in 2023-24 from Rs 7,830 per quintal in 2022-23, followed by groundnut MSP by 9 per cent to Rs 6,377 per quintal from Rs 5,850 per quintal, and soyabean (yellow) MSP by 6.97 per cent to Rs 4,600 per quintal from Rs 4,300 per quintal in the said period.
The MSP of niger seed has been increased by 6.13 per cent to Rs 7,734 per quintal in 2023-24 from Rs 7,287 per quintal in 2022-23, while sunflower seed MSP has been increased by 5.6 per cent to Rs 6,760 per quintal from Rs 6,400 per quintal in 2022-23.
Among cash crops, cotton (long stable) and cotton (medium stable) MSP have been fixed at Rs 7,020 per quintal and Rs 6,620 per quintal respectively, which are 10.03 per cent and 8.88 per cent higher than Rs 6,380 and Rs 6,080 in 2022-23.
In a statement, the government said it has increased the MSP of Kharif crops for 2023-24 to ensure remunerative prices to the growers for their produce and to encourage crop diversification.
The increase in MSP is in line with the Union Budget 2018-19 announcement of fixing the MSP at a level of at least 1.5 times of the All-India weighted average Cost of Production, aiming at reasonably fair remuneration for the farmers, it said.
“The expected margin to farmers over their cost of production are estimated to be highest in case of bajra (82 per cent) followed by tur (58 per cent), soybean (52 per cent) and urad (51 per cent). For the rest of the crops, the margin to farmers over their cost of production is estimated to be at least 50 per cent,” it added.
In recent years, the government said it has been promoting the cultivation of crops, other than cereals, by offering a higher MSP for crops such as pulses, oilseeds and nutri-cereals.
Additionally, the government has also launched various schemes and initiatives, such as the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY), the National Food Security Mission (NFSM), to encourage farmers to diversify their crops.
Due to government measures, there has been substantial increase in the country’s foodgrains production in the last few years. As per third advance estimates for the 2022-23 crop year (July-June), total foodgrain production in the country is estimated at a record 330.5 million tonnes.
The Union Cabinet also approved the third revival package for BSNL with a total outlay of Rs 89,047 crore, primarily for expenses related to spectrum for 4G and 5G services, Telecom and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said.
With the third and last revival package, the total financial support extended to BSNL has crossed Rs 3.22 lakh crore.
Vaishnaw said that the time has come when BSNL should be in the league of the major players.
“It should become a player, which should bring connectivity in the places where normal commercial consideration companies will not be able to go. It should be able to provide digital India services to the weakest of weak sections. With that thought process, today the Cabinet approved a package of Rs 89,047 crore primarily for spectrum-related items,” he said.
Also, the authorised capital of BSNL will be increased from Rs 1,50,000 crore to Rs 2,10,000 crore.
The package comprises allotment of premium wireless frequencies 700 MHz band spectrum worth Rs 46,338.6 crore; 70 MHz of frequencies in the 3300 MHz band worth Rs 26,184.2 crore; frequencies in the 26 GHz band worth Rs 6,564.93 crore; in the 2500 MHz band worth Rs 9,428.2 crore and Rs 531.89 crore for miscellaneous items.
The spectrum allocation will enable BSNL to roll out pan-India 4G and 5G services, 4G coverage in rural and uncovered villages under various connectivity projects, provide Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) services for high-speed internet and provide services/spectrum for Captive Non-Public Network (CNPN).
BSNL has already awarded a tender worth Rs 19,000 crore for rolling out over 1.2 lakh mobile towers for 4G and 5G to a consortium led by IT major Tata Consultancy Service and state-owned technology development organisation Centre for Development of Telematics (CDoT).
State-owned ITI has been allocated 20 per cent of the work but it will also source technology from the TCS-CDoT-led consortium.
The minister said that the capex was part of the second package worth Rs 1.64 lakh crore that was approved by the Cabinet in 2022.
The government provided the first revival package worth Rs 69,000 crore for BSNL and MTNL in 2019.
It provided financial support for capex, viability gap funding for rural landlines, financial support for de-stressing the balance sheet and settlement of AGR dues, merger of BBNL with BSNL, etc. As a result of these two packages, the total debt of BSNL has been reduced from Rs 32,944 crore to Rs 22,289 crore.
The minister said that with the help of the first and second package, BSNL posted an operational profit of Rs 1,559 crore in the financial year ended March 2023 and it will become a debt-free company in the next three years.
BSNL has started rolling out a 4G network with 200 sites, and after a three-month trial, it will launch an average of 200 sites per day.
BSNL Chairman and Managing Director PK Purwar said the tender that has been awarded to the TCS-CDoT consortium is sufficient to roll out services in all the spectrum bands that the company will get.
He said that BSNL has taken over mobile service operations of its debt-ridden sister concern MTNL in Delhi and Mumbai.
When asked about the expected timeline for the rollout of 4G and 5G services in Delhi and Mumbai, Purwar said it will be available after a year.
When asked about the revival status of MTNL, Vaishnaw said that it is a complex issue and is being dealt with separately.
