The recent hike in minimum support prices in May aggravated agrarian crisis in Maharashtra, India

The article highlights the concerns of Kishore Tiwari, a leader from the Shiv Sena (UBT), regarding the recent rise in minimum support prices (MSPs) for certain Kharif crops announced by the Indian government. Tiwari criticizes the new MSPs, stating they fall short of the recommendations of the Dr. M. S. Swaminathan Commission and fails to account for the rising cultivation costs and the need for profitable prices for farmers. He links the inadequate MSPs to the worsening agrarian distress in Maharashtra and the ongoing farmer suicides in the state, attributing the crisis to factors such as drought, rising debt, climate change, declining production, increased costs of agricultural inputs, and unfair market conditions. Tiwari calls for the implementation of the Swaminathan Commission's directives and the announcement of fairer MSPs to address the concerns of the farming community and to prevent further unrest among farmers, particularly ahead of the upcoming state assembly elections.