Nashik: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Wednesday strongly pitched for an increase in the minimum selling price (MSP) of sugar, which has not been revised for many years. He said he will now take up the issue with Union Minister for Cooperation Amit Shah when the latter visits the state, reports Times of India.
He also pointed out that this had helped the sugarcane farmers in the State, especially when the Centre recently announced a hike in the fair and remunerative price (FRP) for sugarcane. The MSP value as of now for sugar is Rs 31 per kilogram; it had lately gained a bit and still required expansion, he added. “An increase in sugar MSP will also benefit the cane farmers as the sugar mills can offer more attractive prices to cane farmers,” Pawar stated.
The FRP is the government-mandated minimum price that sugar mills must pay to farmers for sugarcane, while the MSP is the minimum price at which sugar mills are allowed to sell sugar.
Pawar also praised the Centre for providing income tax relief to sugar mills that pay farmers above the FRP. He noted that this decision had relieved sugar mills of Rs 9,000 crore, addressing a long-standing issue that had persisted through various governments. “Various delegations from Maharashtra had met the top brass of previous governments at the Centre, including former finance ministers like the late Pranab Mukherjee and P. Chidambaram. The matter had even gone to court,” Pawar recalled.
In addition, Pawar highlighted the Mahayuti government’s recent approval of the Wainganga-Nalganga river linking project in Vidarbha. He assured that other projects, such as the Nar-Par-Girna river linking project, would be approved by the state cabinet before the model code of conduct is implemented for the upcoming assembly elections. “Providing water to all in the state is one of the top priorities of the state government, and we are working in that direction,” he added.
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