This refers to the editorial, “Bitter agrarian crisis” (June 8). The farmers' agitation in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra has crippled both the States. The perpetrators of violence are roaming free and violence has had a political touch too. Responsibility for police firing should be fixed without further delay and all masterminds of violence must be brought to book. Successive droughts, unusual bumper crops, cash crunch, wholesale price crash have hit the farmers hard. The Centre should gear up to address the farmers' misgivings before things go out of hand. The Government must be firm in fixing Minimum Support Price (MSP).
Though total loan waiver may not be possible, the Centre should ask the respective Governments to look into the farmers' demands like rise in MSP, interest free credit, subsidised irrigation equipments, provision of pension to farmers above 60 years of age, adequate cold storage facilities, augmented packages for drought hit areas, both cash and
e-payment arrangements in markets etc. The Government must ponder on the ways to reskill the farmers affected by mechanisation, diversifying crop patterns, paving way for user-friendly credit-lending, strengthening land holding and land leasing laws and boosting crop insurance schemes.