Any move to discontinue MSP will jeopardise food security of country: Punjab CM Mann

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. File Pic

Amid talks to end the farmer protest, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday said that any attempt being made to withdraw the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for their crops will jeopardise the food security of the country.

Speaking at a meeting held at the MGSIPA complex in Chandigarh, which was attended by farmer leaders and three Union Ministers, the Punjab CM said, "MSP is a figment of the imagination for armchair economists, who sit in their cozy offices in the national capital without caring about the ground realities. Any move to discontinue the MSP will jeopardise the food security of the country. It is not in the interest of the nation."

Union Ministers Piyush Goyal, Arjun Munda and Nityanand were present in the meeting, which also featured representatives of various farmer unions. Dwelling on a separate issue in the interest of farmers, the Punjab CM also pressed for crop diversification in the country, saying that it will be beneficial for the people.

"Our country, today, imports pulses from Mozambique and other countries. If the farmers were to get remunerative prices for the produce, then the same pulses could be produced here. This will boost our foreign exchange while bringing the farmers out of distress. It would also go a long way in saving the precious water of the state," Mann said.

Thanking the Union ministers and farmers for coming to the talks table, the AAP leader said dialogue was the best and the only way to resolve all issues of contention. "We too don't want an agitation to take place on these issues. Rather, these matters must be sorted out through a dialogue," Mann said. He expressed hope that more such discussions will take place in the coming times "in the larger interests of the farmers and the people".

Sarwan Singh Pandher, general secretary of the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee who was also a part of the meeting, said a total of 10 new demands were put forward during the meeting with the Union Ministers. However, despite the progress in talks, the farmer leader said the scheduled march to the national capital was still on.

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