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Farmer Protest 2.0 in India

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Courtesy/By: PARAM SAKET SARANG | 2024-02-16 21:55     Views : 221
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Farmer Protest 2.0 in India

Introduction

Farmers largely from Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh began their 'Chalo Delhi' march after an unproductive meeting with the Union government. Thousands of farmers on tractors and trucks are marching to the Indian capital, New Delhi, to pressure the government to meet their demands, which include guaranteed pricing for their products and debt relief.

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM), and Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee are leading the protests. According to the organisers, more than 200 farm unions would participate in the March to Delhi.

The SKM was a significant player in the 2020-2021 demonstrations that prompted Prime Minister Narendra Modi to revoke three farm policies that farmers thought would benefit companies at their expense. Farmers have accused Modi's government of failing to keep promises made to them, such as doubling their salaries.

The SKM has called for a statewide rural and industrial strike in protest of the administration.

Haryana police have detained several farmers and seized their cars at the Punjab-Haryana (Shambhu) border.

The Delhi and Haryana police have erected up roadblocks, bans, drones, stones, concrete slabs with nails, and video surveillance at the borders to prevent farmers from entering Delhi.

Several major farmer leaders' social media accounts have been blocked in the wake of the Delhi chalo farmers' demonstrations.

Section 144 has been deployed at Delhi's borders to keep mayhem under control.

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has proposed that states designate specific sites where farmers can protest.

Farmer’s Demand

  • Legal assurances of a minimum support price (MSP), which serves as a safety net for the farming community; farm debt exemptions; and the repeal of measures they claim harm farmers. The demand is for the MSP to be fixed at least 50 per cent higher than the cost of production of any crop.

  • Farm loan waivers

  • Implementation of the Swaminathan Commission recommendations

  • Pensions for farmers and farm labourers

  • Withdrawal of cases against farmers during the 2020 farmer protest.

Swaminathan Commission Recommendations

  • MSP should be fixed at least 50% more than the weighted average cost of production, taking into account various factors such as input costs, labour, and land rent.

  • Reforms in land ownership, distribution, and tenancy to ensure equitable access to land for small and marginal farmers. It emphasized the need for land consolidation, proper land records, and effective tenancy laws to enhance agricultural productivity and reduce disparities.

  • The commission proposed reforms in agricultural credit and insurance systems. It recommended easier access to institutional credit, interest rate subsidies, crop insurance schemes, and risk mitigation measures to protect farmers from crop failures and market uncertainties.

  • Reduction in crop loan rate to 4%, with government support to improve farmer’s credit availability.

Minimum Support Price {MSP}

  • Objective:- The major goal of MSP is to ensure that farmers receive fair prices for their produce while also providing them with income security.

  • Government Announcement:- The Government of India announces MSP at the start of each planting season for specific crops. The announcement is based on recommendations from the Commission on Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP).

  • Crop The MSP applies to a variety of crops, including cereals (such as rice and wheat), pulses, oilseeds, cotton, sugarcane, and some additional crops as specified by the government.

  • Determining Factors:- MSP is decided by a variety of factors, including production costs, demand-supply dynamics, market price trends, international pricing, and the overall agricultural policy framework.

  • Procurement Mechanism:- Government institutions such as the Food Corporation of India (FCI), National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd. (NAFED), and state agencies are in charge of purchasing products from farmers at MSP.

  • Buffer Stock:- The procured crops are used for a variety of purposes, including distribution via the Public Distribution System (PDS), buffer stock management to ensure food security and other welfare initiatives.

Farmer Protest in 2020

Farmers have protested strongly, particularly in the states of Punjab and Haryana, against three farm legislation that seek to repeal ordinances passed in June 2020.

These laws aim to reform some of the most important parts of the farm economy, including agricultural commodity commerce, price assurance, farm services such as contracts, and stock restrictions for crucial commodities.

This legislation intended to make much-needed improvements to the agricultural marketing system, such as lifting prohibitions on private stock holdings of agricultural produce or establishing trade zones free of middlemen, bringing the market to the farmer.

Three Farm bills are:-

  • The Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020-  It is aimed at allowing trade in agricultural produce outside the existing APMC {Agriculture Produce Market Committee} mandis.

  • The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020- It seeks to provide a framework for contract farming.

  • Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, 2020- It is aimed at removing commodities such as cereals, pulses, oilseeds, edible oils, onion and potatoes from the list of essential commodities.

 

The Supreme Court postponed the execution of the three statutes until January 2021. The agricultural laws were only in effect for 221 days, from June 5th, 2020, when the ordinances were enacted, until January 12th, 2021, when the Supreme Court delayed their enforcement.

President Ram Nath Kovind has signed the bill that repeals the three contentious farm laws. The Law Ministry has notified the Farm Laws Repeal Law, 2021, which repeals all farm laws passed by Parliament last year.

 

Conclusion

The farmer protests over the Minimum Support Price (MSP), the Indian government repealed the disputed agricultural legislation in November 2021, resulting in a huge victory for the protesting farmers. The protests, which were primarily motivated by fears of MSP erosion and agricultural corporatization, brought to light farmers' genuine concerns about their livelihoods and autonomy. While the repeal addressed urgent concerns, the larger issue of establishing legal assurance of MSP and substantial agricultural reforms is still unsolved. The protests highlighted the importance of farmers' voices in crafting agricultural policies, as well as the necessity for ongoing communication and policy changes to meet their concerns.

 

References

Courtesy/By: PARAM SAKET SARANG | 2024-02-16 21:55