The centre on Wednesday announced 5.02 per cent increase in the minimum support price (MSP) of matured dehusked coconut to Rs 2,700 per quintal for the 2020 season in a bid to protect the interest of small farmers.
The MSP of dehusked coconut was Rs 2,571 per quintal during the last season.
“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,” Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said in a statement.
Even though MSP for milling copra is Rs 9,960 per quintal for 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 have insufficient facility for copra making, he said.
“This will be a relief to the coconut farmers who are already affected by the pandemic and the consequent disruption in the supply chain,” he added.
The minister said, coconut being a small holder”s crop, aggregation and arranging copra making facility at farmer”s level is not common.
The government has given utmost importance to the interests of farmers growing all kinds of crops throughout the country, he added.
