- Financial Express
Kharif tidings: Higher MSPs have a bearing on decisions by farmers on which summer crops to grow
With the onset of a delayed southwest monsoon, sowing operations during the kharif or summer season for paddy, coarse cereals, pulses, oilseeds, and cotton are expected to pick up. June and July are crucial months for sowing. To ensure a robust crop output, the government has announced higher minimum support prices by 6 to 10.4%, which is the highest increase since FY19. Elevated MSPs are intended to ensure remunerative prices for farmers, who not so long ago were agitating for a legal guarantee for this regime and extending it to more and more crops backed by open-ended procurement. Such purchases, however, are a reality for paddy, pulses, and to lesser extent, for cotton.