Lok Sabha Debates
Need To Declare Minimum Support Price Of Onions And Potatoes And Bring These Crops ... on 20 March, 2006
an> Title : Need to declare Minimum Support Price of onions and potatoes and bring these crops under National Crop Insurance Scheme for the benefit of the farmers in Maharashtra.
SHRI ADHALRAO PATIL SHIVAJIRAO (KHED): I would like to draw the attention of the Government towards the deteriorating condition of onion and potato growing farmers of Maharashtra. A huge quantity of onion and potato is getting damaged due to lack of marketing, procurement arrangements and storage facilities. As a result of which growers are not getting even production cost of their produce. These growers have taken loans on heavy rate of interest and at present are not in a position to replay even the interest amount. The Central Government are giving Minimum Support Prices to the growers of other crops and have also included those crops in the Crop Insurance Scheme. But as far as onion and potato is concerned, nothing has been done to bring these products under Crop Insurance Scheme and also no Minimum Statutory Prices has been set for onion and potato. The prices of onion are going down gradually and are likely to go down further.
Therefore, I request the Union Minister of Agriculture to fix minimum statutory prices atleast of Rs. 500/- per quintal for onion and potato and bring these two products under Crop Insurance Scheme. I further request that adequate storage facilities, marketing opportunities and export incentives may be provided to the onion and potato growers of Maharashtra.