Chennai, Oct 8 (TIWN) Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday said the minimum support price (MSP) will continue and will not be withdrawn, while contending that for a long time, it had brought in distortion in the cropping pattern across the country.

She also said before bringing in the three new farm laws, the Central government had held extensive discussions with the farmers’ bodies across the country.  The three farm laws — the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020, and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020 — were passed by the Parliament last month and have received the President’s assent.  Addressing the media here, Sitharaman said though MSP was there for several products, the focus was more on paddy and wheat and their MSPs were revised upwards every year.  This resulted in a distortion in cropping with farmers, who were growing pulses, millets and oil seeds, shifted to paddy and wheat, resulting in edible oil having to be imported, she added.