MSP for all produce, river-linking among farmers' budget expectations

WITH the Union budget for 2025-26 set to be presented on February 1, farmer unions and agricultural activists have highlighted their key expectations, which include minimum support price (MSP) for all agricultural produce, big-ticket fund allocation for natural farming, cold storage facilities for horticulture produce, solar power panels, inter-linking of rivers and deputing the workers of MGNREGS for agricultural works.

- T MURUGANANDHAM @Chennai

KP Perumal, state secretary of Tamil Nadu Vivasayigal Sangam said the MSP, which is given only for 23 commodities, does not even cover 50% of the cost of production. He stressed the need for implementing the MS Swaminathan Commission's recommendations, which said that MSP should be set at a level ensuring at least 50% of profit margin over the comprehensive cost of production. He urged the Union government to waive loans of the farmers, alleging it has so far waived loans only for corporates.

V Jeevakumar, an agricultural activist in Thanjavur district said the Centre should provide a major impetus to organic farming.