Cereals Prices: Jowar Prices- Announcement of MSP for jowar, paddy and ragi.

In tune with the newly fixed minimum support price, the Food and Civil Supplies department will begin procuring paddy, ragi and jowar.

For 2015-16, the Centre has announced the minimum support price (MSP), for ragi, paddy and jowar. In addition, the State government has announced incentive. The combined price would come into effect.

In case of white jowar, the MSP fixed by the Centre is Rs 1,590 while the State is offering an additional Rs 510 per quintal. The MSP announced for ragi by the Centre is Rs 1,650, while the State is giving additional Rs 450. The Centre has fixed the MSP for paddy at Rs 1,410 per quintal and the State would be giving an additional Rs 100.

These information given at a press conference in Bengaluru. While paddy purchase would begin from December 21, procurement of ragi and jowar would commence from January 1. The purchases would conclude by March 31, said Dinesh Gundu Rao, Minister of State for Food and Civil Supplies.

The State is unlikely to get paddy from Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh due to the heavy rains there and there could be sufficient ragi production, said the minister.

There is demand for food grains in open market and this may push up the prices, said Rao. He added that still, free distribution under the public distribution system would continue. If the department imposes control on prices, then farmers would face problem.

Source: http://www.deccanherald.com/