BJP Kerala chief urges Centre to exclude Kerala from MSP bonus cut

BJP Kerala president Rajeev Chandrasekhar has urged Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to exclude Kerala from the central government’s decision to scrap the procurement bonus for paddy and wheat.

In a letter to Minister Sitharaman, Chandrasekhar said that paddy farmers in Kerala have been neglected for years, particularly in areas such as production costs, procurement mechanisms, and marketing support.

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He said that Kerala has experienced a steady, long-term decline in paddy acreage and production and is not a surplus-producing state contributing to excess central stocks.

Chandrasekhar has written to the Union Finance Minister in the wake of a recent communication issued by the Department of Expenditure, which asked states, including Kerala, to review and consider discontinuing the announcement of MSP bonus for paddy and wheat in view of surplus stocks, fiscal burden, and sustainability concerns.

The BJP Kerala chief pointed out that Kerala has been governed by political fronts that have largely neglected the concerns of paddy farmers, particularly with respect to production costs, procurement mechanisms, and marketing support.

He further said that many farmers were compelled to depend on private money lenders, leading to severe financial stress. “The Government of Kerala has not announced any additional bonus over and above MSP for paddy or wheat in the manner followed by certain states with surplus production,” Chandrasekhar said.