A three-day national convention of 60 farmers’ organisations across the country has demanded Minimum Support Price (MSP) for their produce. The second farmers convention under the umbrella of “Kisan Ekta” which is working out plans to bring agriculture back into Nation’s agenda, blames successive Governments for failure in protecting agriculture for over eight decades.
Food and Agricultural Policy Analyst Devinder Sharma, who played a key role in bringing these farmers’ organisations together has demanded the Centre put on hold the implementation of the 7th Pay Commission recommendations till it executes the pre-poll promise of ensuring that farmers get 50 per cent of profits in MSP over cost of cultivation.
Addressing a meet at the Press programme organised by Press Club of Bengaluru, he demanded that the Union Government must give 50 per cent of profits in MSP. He said “We want the Government to give a similar benefit in the form of increase in profits to farmers also. You have no right to give such a benefit to only one section of society by ignoring farmers who constitute 52 per cent of the country’s population.” He also stressed the need to bring all the farmers organisations together to fight for the survival of Indian agriculture. He said, “Agriculture produce is not farmer friendly but it is either industry or consumer friendly. MSPs had been deliberately kept low to prevent increase in food prices that would trigger inflation”.
“We want to initiate a debate on this regard in the country so that the seriousness of the issue will be understood. We will decide the next course of action depending upon the Government’s response,” he said.
He lashed out at successive Governments and said, “Three lakh farmers have committed suicide across India in the past 20 years. This is a serious symptom of the problems faced by the farming community at large.”
He said, “In 1970, the minimum support price was Rs76 per quintal of wheat. Now, it is Rs1,450, about 19 times as much. Vidarbha and Marathwada continue to top the list in farmer suicides. In Punjab, the farmers are getting Rs1,450 as the minimum support price, which is higher than that of Rs900 in Bihar. But Punjab farmers still commit suicide. In Karnataka, there have been about 600 suicides this year.” “This is because of not implementing S Swaminathan’s recommendation of giving farmers 50 per cent of cost of profit over production”, he added.
“If a farmer is getting Rs100 for his produce, he must be funded with Rs50 more. If the recommendation is followed, farmers should get Rs7,600 per quintal”, he said.