BJD Raises Five Demands before Centre in Interest of Odisha’s Farmers

Bhubaneswar: Ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) today raised five demands before the Centre in the interest of farmers of Odisha and development of agriculture.

The five demands include paddy MSP hike, implementation of Swaminathan Commission report recommendations for MSP determination, lifting of surplus par-boiled rice, payment of pending food subsidy dues to Odisha.

Addressing a press meet, BJD national spokesperson Dr. Sasmit Patra said that the Centre had increased the MSP of common grade variety of paddy yesterday by Rs. 100 per quintal, Rs. 1940 in 2021-22 to Rs. 2040 per quintal for 2022-23 crop year for common variety. He reiterated that this increase of merely Rs. 100 per quintal is not sufficient and that the BJD has been demanding for increasing the MSP for paddy to 1.5 times of the Cost of Production at C2 value as per the Swaminathan Commission Report recommendations but the Centre has not done it so far, he said.

The surplus parboiled rice of Odisha should be lifted immediately which would otherwise cause great hardship to the lakhs of farmers of Odisha and particularly from western Odisha, the BJD demanded.

Rs. 10,333 crore of food subsidy bill pending with Centre should be immediately released to Odisha and Rs. 5454.67 Crores towards additional interest incurred by Odisha due to delay of release and short release of subsidy by Centre till March 31, 2022 should be released immediately, the BJD spokesperson said.