Zee Media Bureau
New Delhi: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) is likely to consider Wednesday a proposal to hike the minimum support price of paddy by Rs 50 to Rs 1,360 per quintal and pulses by up to Rs 100 per quintal for this crop year.
Ram Vilas Paswan, who has not been included in the CCEA, has been asked to attend the meeting in his capacity as Food Minister, sources said.
"The price policy of kharif crops for 2014-15 is on the agenda of the CCEA meeting Wednesday," sources said.
The Agriculture Ministry has accepted most of the recommendations of the Commission for Agriculture Costs and Prices (CACP) on the MSP of paddy, cotton and 12 other kharif crops for 2014-15, they added.
According to sources, the Agriculture Ministry proposed an increase in the paddy MSP by Rs 50 to Rs 1,360 a quintal for the common variety and a raise of Rs 55 to Rs 1,400 a quintal for the 'grade A' variety for the current crop year.
The ministry proposed a Rs 50 per quintal increase in cotton MSP to Rs 3,750 for medium staple and Rs 4,050 for long staple, sources said.
With regard to cereals, the ministry suggested a marginal hike in jowar MSP by Rs 30 to Rs 1,530 a quintal for the hybrid variety and Rs 1,550 a quintal for the maldandi variety for this year as its MSP was raised sharply two years ago.
It suggested a Rs 50 raise in ragi MSP to Rs 1,550 a quintal.
The ministry recommended retaining the MSP of bajra and maize at Rs 1,250 a quintal and Rs 1,310 a quintal, respectively.
It proposed keeping the MSP of groundnut and soyabean unchanged for this year at Rs 4,000 a quintal and Rs 2,500-2,560 a quintal, respectively.
For pulses, the ministry recommended a Rs 50 hike in the support price of 'tur' and 'urad' to Rs 4,350 a quintal.
The ministry suggested a Rs 100 increase in MSP of 'moong' to Rs 4,600 a quintal to keep inter-crop parity within kharif (summer) pulses.
The ministry proposed an increase of Rs 50 in the support price of sunflower seed to Rs 3,750 a quintal, besides a Rs 100 hike in MSP of sesamum and nigerseed at Rs 4,600 and Rs 3,600 a quintal, respectively, for this year.
With agency inputs
