TN CM urges Centre to hike milling copra MSP to Rs 125 a kg

The present Minimum Support Price of Rs 99.60 per kilo for milling copra would not be adequate and it should be increased to at least Rs 125 per kg, Chief Minister K Palaniswami on Wednesday urged the Centre.

The present Minimum Support Price of Rs 99.60 per kilo for milling copra would not be adequate and it should be increased to at least Rs 125 per kg, Chief Minister K Palaniswami on Wednesday urged the Centre. The government of Tamil Nadu, while communicating its views on the price policy for Copra 2020 season, had on January 23 this year suggested Rs 105 per kg for milling copra, he said in a letter to Union Minister for Agriculture, Narendra Singh Tomar.

"At present, market rate in Tamil Nadu and nearby States prevails between Rs 100 to Rs 110 per kg. Hence, taking the above challenges into consideration, it is felt that the present MSP for milling copra of Rs 99.60 per kg will not be adequate to compensate their cost of production," he said.

The Central government fixed the MSP for crops like paddy, ragi and pulses at 150 per cent of the cost of cultivation. The coconut farmers also need to be given adequate price for their produce, in order to enable them to overcome the increasing costs of production in the background of seasonal adversities, pest attacks and rising input costs.

The lockdown due to COVID-19 pandemic has had a detrimental impact on the coconut farmers, who have to incur additional cost due to scarcity of labour and challenges in transportation. "Hence, I request you to kindly consider revision of the Minimum Support Price for milling copra from Rs 99.60 to at least Rs 125 per kg for the current 2020 copra season, for safeguarding the interest of coconut growers," Palaniswami urged.PTI VGN BN WELCOME BN WELCOME