Govt should fix MSP for stubble and buy it from farmers: Hooda

Former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Saturday said the government should fix minimum support price for stubble and buy it from farmers. Commenting on the action taken by the government against farmers for burning stubble as condemnable, Hooda in a statement said the government should take back this anti-farmer decision.
“Farmers take such steps (burn stubble) under compulsion. Registering first information reports and red-listing them is not acceptable. The government should work on a solution. Many things can be made by buying stubble, such as fuel, bio-thermocol, ethanol, bio-bitumen, pallets, pulp, fertilizer, bricks and it can also be used for electricity production,” he said.
Hooda said stubble burning has a very small share in pollution and the real cause of pollution is factories, vehicles and dust. “Therefore, the government should dispose of the stubble or buy it from farmers. They should fix a minimum support price for stubble and buy it. At present, the machines that the government is talking about providing for the stubble’s disposal are not proving to be effective. The number of machines is also very less. Small farmers are unable to use them,” he said.
Hooda also reminded the BJP government of its election promise to buy paddy from farmers at the rate of ₹3,100 per quintal. “Today the situation is such that farmers are not getting even MSP, let alone ₹3,100 and they are forced to sell their crop at a lower rate,” the former CM said.