New Delhi

Haryana today urged the Centre to replace the ‘Minimum Support Price’ with ‘Profitable Price’ in consonance with recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission under which farmers would be given 50 percent profit over and above the cost of production of the crop.

According to an official statement released today, Haryana Agriculture Minister O P Dhankar today said the state government has sent a communication to the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices saying Minimum Support Price for farmers tends to become the Maximum Support Price, which fails to serve the basic purpose of providing adequate profit to the farmers.

Without ensuring a minimum lucrative and profitable price to farmers, required growth level in agriculture in proportion to other sectors of economy, can?t be achieved, he said.

Dhankar suggested that if due to constraints of resources, it is not feasible to give the increase of 50 per cent in one go, the central government might strive for giving 20 per cent increase in the average cost of production of crops in last two years plus 10 per cent profit in the first instance, the statement said.

Dhankar also said there will not be any shortage of urea and its adequate availability will be ensured.

Five more railway racks of urea will arrive in Haryana daily. One rack has a capacity of 3,000 tonnes of urea, he said, as per another official statement.

Dhankar had earlier met Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilisers Ananth Kumar regarding supply of urea here today.

Dhankar expressed his gratitude to Kumar for providing 70,000 tonnes of urea which is equal to 14 lakh extra bags in its last urea distribution.

He said the state government is a well-wisher of farmers and would not allow any shortage of urea and DAP in the state.
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