Farmers Protest: The MSP conundrum for Punjab, Haryana farmers - What govt data shows

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Thousands of farmers are protesting for the last seven days to press for their demand the include MSP in the new farm laws. However, data shows that the Centre has procured more paddy and wheat on MSP in the last five years from Punjab and Haryana farmers. While farmers, mostly from Punjab, and some from Haryana, have rejected the Modi government's offer of forming a committee to look intro their grievances over the new farm laws, a detailed look into the data of crop production and sale shows that the government has been purchasing wheat and rice on Minimum Support Price from both Punjab and Haryana.

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According Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, the government has procured majority of paddy and wheat from these two states since 2014. Punjab and Haryana farmers sell their produce (paddy and wheat) to the government. Despite this, they are protesting for the last one week to press the government to make MSP a mandatory clause in the new laws.

Protesting farmers are apprehensive that the new farm laws will dismantle the Minimum Support Price system and corporatise the agriculture sector. 

Punjab and Haryana are the two rice-growing regions in the country. The data show that the government has been procuring the non-Basmati rice from the two states at MSP and it has increased successively.

In 2018-19, Punjab produced 128.22 lakh ton non-Basmati rice of which the government purchased 88% (113 lakh ton).

As far as wheat production and procurement are concerned, the government has increased its purchasing capacity in the successive years. In the 2018-19 crop year, Punjab produced 182.44 lakh ton wheat and the government procured 129.12 lakh ton wheat in the 2019-20 marketing year.

Similarly in Haryana, the government has increased its purchasing capacity. In 2018-19, Haryana produced 45.16 lakh ton non-Basmati rice of which the government procured 87 per cent, nearly 39.42 lakh ton.

The government also procured majority of wheat that was produced in Haryana. According to the ministry data, the state produced 125.74 lakh ton wheat in the 2018-19 crop year. The government procured nearly 74 per cent of the total production (93.20 lakh ton) in the marketing year 2019-20.