Supreme Court seeks govt response on PIL for implementation of MSP recommendations

The Supreme Court on Friday sought response from the government on a PIL seeking implementation of the M.S. Swaminathan-led National Commission on Farmers recommendations that the minimum support price (MSP) given to farmers should be at least 50% more than the weighted average cost of production.

A Bench led by Justice Surya Kant sought response from the ministries of commerce and agriculture on the petition, which comes against the backdrop of farmers' demand earlier this year for a legal guarantee for a MSP for all crops, based on the formula recommended by the Swaminathan commission, which was set up in 2004.

Farm rights activist Agnosthos Theos in its petition sought a direction to the government to negotiate under the World Trade Organisation or the Free Trade Agreement after considering the livelihood impact analysis on the Indian farmers.


Stating that there is a need to include cereals and pulses in the PDS system at a reasonable MSP, the PIL also said that the Second Green Revolution was not possible without proper remunerative prices for the farmers' produce.

Besides seeking establishment of a price stabilisation fund to support the farmers in the event of wide fluctuation in prices of agricultural commodities, the petition filed through counsel Mridula Ray Bhardwaj also wants avoidance of cheap import of agricultural commodities to protect the domestic market.

Agriculture cess levy for the resource poor farming families, end to the "debt death" of the farmers by providing farm credit at 4% interest rate and single agriculture market to control the food inflation at price volatility through GST have been also sought by the petitioner.