NEW DELHI/CHANDIGARH, June 2 — The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) has strongly criticized the Union government’s recently announced minimum support prices (MSP) for 14 kharif crops, calling the hikes inadequate and a betrayal of farmers’ longstanding demands.
The MSPs, approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 28, raised the paddy procurement rate to ₹2,369 per quintal, up from ₹2,300 last year. But farmer leaders argue this falls far short of the rates recommended by the Swaminathan Commission.
“The MSP is not based on the C2+50% formula recommended by the Swaminathan Commission,” the SKM said in a statement. “If the formula had been implemented, the paddy MSP would be ₹3,135 per quintal.” According to the SKM, farmers producing 25–30 quintals of paddy per acre could lose between ₹19,150 and ₹22,980 due to this shortfall—three to four times more than the ₹6,000 annual benefit under the PM-Kisan scheme.
The C2+50% formula factors in the comprehensive cost of cultivation, including land rent and capital input, and adds a 50% profit margin to ensure viable returns for farmers.
Sukhdev Singh Kokrikalan, a senior SKM leader, accused the BJP-led government of breaking its 2014 election promise. “Farmers’ organisations across India have been consistently demanding the C2+50% formula with guaranteed procurement. This is the 12th consecutive year that the government has refused to act on it,” he said.
He further pointed to inflation and soaring costs of inputs—fertilizers, seeds, fuel and other essentials—arguing the modest MSP increase offers no meaningful relief. “Input costs and living expenses have surged far beyond what this MSP hike accounts for,” he added.
In response, the SKM has announced plans to actively mobilize for a nationwide general strike at tehsil and block levels on July 9 to press for fair pricing and policy commitments.
“July 9 will mark our collective resistance to this systematic denial of farmers’ rights,” the statement concluded.
