The Centre has hiked the MSP by 5.02 per cent. During season 2019, the MSP was 2 thousand 5 hundred 71 rupees per quintal .
Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said that the Government of India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given utmost importance to the interests of farmers growing all kinds of crops throughout the country.
The hike in the MSP for mature dehusked coconut facilitates procurement of fresh coconut thereby ensuring that the benefit of MSP reaches the millions of smallholder coconut farmers.
Mr Tomar said that coconut being a small holder’s crop, aggregation and arranging copra making facilities at farmer’s level is not common.
Even though MSP for milling copra is 9 thousand 9 hundred 60 rupees per quintal for the 2020 crop season, declaration of higher MSP for dehusked coconut ensures immediate cash to the small farmers, who are unable to hold the product and who are having insufficient facility for copra making.
It will be a relief to the coconut farmers who are already affected by the pandemic and the consequent disruption in the supply chain.