Minimum support price (MSP):

GS Paper 3:

Topics Covered- Issues related to direct and indirect farm subsidies and minimum support prices.

Context:

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for Raw Jute for 2022-23 season.

• The approval is based on recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices.
• The announced MSP of raw jute for 2022-23 season is in line with the principle of fixing the MSP at a level of at least 1.5 times all India weighted average cost of production as announced by the Government in the Budget 2018-19.
• It assures a minimum of 50 percent as margin of profit.
• It is one of the important and progressive steps towards ensuring better remunerative returns to the jute growers and to incentivize quality jute fibre.

What is MSP?

MSP is the rate at which the government buys grains from farmers.

How is it calculated?

The MSP is the rate at which the government purchases crops from farmers, and is based on a calculation of at least one-and-a-half times the cost of production incurred by the farmers.

• The Union Budget for 2018-19 had announced that MSP would be kept at levels of 1.5 the cost of production.
• The MSP is fixed twice a year on the recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP), which is a statutory body and submits separate reports recommending prices for kharif and rabi seasons.

Which production costs are taken in fixing the MSPs?

The CACP considers both ‘A2+FL’ and ‘C2’ costs while recommending MSP.

1. A2 costs cover all paid-out expenses, both in cash and kind, incurred by farmers on seeds, fertilisers, chemicals, hired labour, fuel and irrigation, among others.
2. A2+FL covers actual paid-out costs plus an imputed value of unpaid family labour.
3. The C2 costs account for the rentals and interest forgone on owned land and fixed capital assets respectively, on top of A2+FL.

The limitations of MSP:

1. The major problem with the MSP is lack of government machinery for procurement for all crops except wheat and rice, which the Food Corporation of India actively procures under the PDS.
2. As state governments procure the last mile grain, the farmers of states where the grain is procured completely by the government benefit more while those in states that procure less are often affected.
3. The MSP-based procurement system is also dependent on middlemen, commission agents and APMC officials, which smaller farmers find difficult to get access to.

Insta Curious:

Do you know about the private member’s bill for Minimum Support Price of crops introduced by MP Varun Gandhi last year? Reference: read this.

InstaLinks:

Prelims Link:

1. Composition of CCEA.
2. What is CACP?
3. How many crops are covered under the MSP scheme?
4. Who announces MSP?
5. Difference between Kharif and Rabi crops.

Sources: PIB.