Punjab Tenancy Act amended, to benefit farmers vis-à-vis MSP

CHANDIGARH: In a relief to farmers, especially tenants tilling land across the state, Punjab government on Monday approved amendment in Punjab Tenancy Act, 1887. From now on, the formula to determine the rental value of owned land will be as per actual market land rent, to be evaluated by Punjab Agriculture University (PAU), Ludhiana.
An official spokesperson said that the file in this regard has been cleared by CM Parkash Singh Badal.
Badal had taken up the issue with the Union ministry of agriculture, emphasizing the need to evolve a methodological procedure to determine minimum support price (MSP) for farm produce. He had apprised the Centre that the provision in Punjab Security of Land Tenures Act, 1953 to limit the land rent upto one third of the value of produce was made to protect the rights of tenants, which was no more relevant in view of abolition of tenancy.
Badal said this amendment had become all the more important in the present context because the earlier provisions under the law were unrealistic and denied the right of remunerative MSP to the farmers. He hoped that with the amended law, farmers, especially tenants, would be richly benefitted as MSP would now be calculated on the basis of actual market rent determined by the PAU.
With a mere 1.53% of geographical area of the country, Punjab accounts for around 20% of wheat, 10% of rice and 10% of cotton production in India. The state has contributed significantly to the national pool of food grains, making the country self-sufficient in food grains and food security.
The assured procurement of food grains at MSP has played a key role in this development. Farmers of the state have been demanding a review of the procedure to fix MSP to make it remunerative and thereby improve the viability of farming.