Raise food grain procurement price: Hooda

CHANDIGARH - Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda Monday urged the central government to peg the minimum support price of food grains at 50 percent higher than the actual cost of cultivation.

Hooda also appealed to the government to take steps to cut down post-harvest crop losses.

Crop losses are ruling at an alarmingly high level of Rs.55,000 crore in a year. I have urged the central government to adopt conscious and consistent measures to step up both public and private investment in agriculture, especially in research and development, said Hooda in a statement issued here Monday.

All these steps are necessary if we want to match the growth in agricultural production with population growth,” he said.

“To feed our ever-increasing population, food grain production has to be doubled by 2040 with a consistent 2.5 percent annual growth. Hence, there is a need for a second green revolution in the country,” said Hooda.