The MSP for the dehusked coconut has been increased from Rs 2,571 per quintal during the last season to Rs 2,700 per quintal in the current season.
In a major relief to the coconut farmers, the Narendra Modi government increased the minimum support price for mature dehusked coconut by 5.02 per cent. The MSP for the dehusked coconut has been increased from Rs 2,571 per quintal during the last season to Rs 2,700 per quintal in the current season, according to the ministry of agriculture & farmers’ welfare. The government’s move is expected to benefit millions of farmers as India is the third-largest coconut producer in the world, after Indonesia and the Philippines. The country produced 2,138 crore coconuts in the financial year 2018-19, according to the Coconut Development Board.
Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said that coconut being a small holder’s crop, aggregation and arranging copra making facility at farmer’s level is not common. He added that even though MSP for milling copra is Rs 9,960 per quintal for 2020 crop season, declaration of higher MSP for dehusked coconut will ensure immediate cash to the small farmers, who are unable to hold the product and have an insufficient facility for copra making.
Announcing the hike in dehusked coconuts’ MSP, the government also said that it has given utmost importance to the interests of farmers growing all kinds of crops throughout the country. Earlier this month, the union cabinet approved to increase the minimum support prices for all mandated Kharif crops for marketing season 2020-21. The government had increased the MSP of Kharif crops to ensure that growers get high prices for their produce.
In an effort to double farmers’ income, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has taken landmark decisions to liberate the farm sector. According to the latest decisions announced in the Atma Nirbhar Bharat package, the farmers will be able to sell their produce outside the mandis, at a more competitive price. Also, the farmers will be allowed to sell the produce anywhere across the country. Meanwhile, the government has procured record amount of wheat in the current season, indicating that the centre is standing with the farmers in these tough times.
Source: https://bit.ly/30iUca3