Congress had ensured better MSP to farmers: Hooda

Former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Monday said that the minimum support price (MSP) for crops saw a manifold increase during the Congress led UPA government’s rule at the Centre while the MSP hike was stymied during the reign of BJP led NDA government.
The leader of Opposition who met a delegation of farmers on Monday said that government statistics show that MSP was hiked many a times during the Congress rule as compared to the BJP reign. “The BJP has only put brakes on the pace of MSP increase and pushed the farmers into losses. This is the reason why today farmers of the entire country including Haryana are agitating,” Hooda said.
Coming up with MSP data, the Congress leader said that when the party came to power in 2004-05, the rate of wheat was only ₹640 per quintal. “The Congress increased it by 126 % to make it ₹1,450 per quintal. But during the entire tenure of BJP, the MSP of wheat increased by only 51.7%. That is, less than half as compared to what the Congress gave,” he said.
Hooda said, “For paddy the Congress had increased the rate by 143%– from ₹560 to ₹1,360 per quintal. But the BJP increased it by only 60% during its rule.
The former CM said that rate of cotton was increased by 130% from ₹1,760 to ₹4,050 during Congress rule. The BJP increased it by only 53.7%. Similarly, the Congress increased the rate of millet by 143% while the BJP increased it by only 100%. The MSP of sunflower was increased by 180% during Congress rule while the BJP increased it by only 70.6%,” he said.
Hooda said the state advised price (SAP) for sugarcane was only ₹117 before the Congress government took over the reins of Haryana in 2005. “Our government increased the sugarcane price by 165% to make it ₹310. But till date, the BJP has made a 24.5% hike only in cane SAP to take the rate to ₹386,” he said.