Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal today assailed the Centre for the recent hike in the prices of DAP and Urea by Rs 30 and Rs 24 per bag respectively.

This hike speaks volumes of Congress-led UPA government's "insensitivity" and its "apathetic attitude" towards plight of the farmers who were already in distress due to low returns on their produce, Badal said in a statement here.

Badal said the Centre has added to farmers' woes with this unreasonable hike in the prices of DAP and Urea especially at a time when the MSP was not commensurate with the costs of agricultural inputs.

The chief minister further said that centre should realise the immense contribution of Punjab farmers to make country self-sufficient in food production to ensure national food security.

He said instead of rewarding them with remunerative MSP, the centre had actually demoralised them by increasing the prices of DAP and Urea making the agriculture a non-viable profession.