From correspondents in Orissa, India, 11:00 PM IST

Opposing the minimum support price (MSP) of Rs.850 for paddy fixed by the central government Thursday, Orissa said it should be raised to Rs.1,000.

The central government fixed an interim purchase price of Rs.850 per quintal of paddy pending a final decision on the rate to be paid to farmers for the upcoming winter crop.

'The hike is not adequate,' the state's Agriculture Minister Surendranath Nayak told mediapersons here.

'Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had written a letter to the central government last year in November and again in December to increase the MSP of paddy to Rs.1,000,' he said.

The central government should raise the MSP to Rs.1,000 since a large number of people in Orissa depend on paddy cultivation, Naik said.

(Staff Writer, © IANS)