- Marches to Delhi announced
- Farmers reject government proposal
- Negotiations lack transparency
The farmers, who have rejected a government proposal to purchase certain crops at guaranteed prices for a period of five years, have announced that they will recommence their weekly marches to the capital city of Delhi this week.
After a week of demonstrations, they were halted approximately 200 kilometres from Delhi.
Subsequently, farmer leaders engaged in discussions with the government regarding their concerns.
On the contrary, they declared the offer “not in their interest” on Monday evening.
For a period of five years, the government had suggested that cooperatives purchase pulses, maize, and cotton at guaranteed floor prices, also referred to as the Minimum Support Price or MSP.
However, the farmers maintain that their demand for a “legal guarantee for MSP on all 23 crops” will not be waived.
Farm union leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal told local media, “We appeal to the government to either resolve our issues or remove the barricades and allow us to proceed to Delhi to protest peacefully.”
They declare that marching will recommence on Wednesday.
In India, farmers constitute a significant voting cohort, and analysts predict that the Narendra Modi administration will be cautious not to alienate or anger them. In this year’s general elections, his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is vying for a third consecutive term in power.
As an effort to cease the march, authorities engaged in combat with the demonstrators last week, firing tear gas and plastic bullets at them. Thousands of farmers camped at Delhi’s borders for months in 2020, compelling the government to repeal controversial agricultural reforms. They fear a recurrence of that unsettling situation.
Wednesday marked the beginning of the most recent round of demonstrations, when farmers from Haryana and Punjab began marching to Delhi. In addition to demands for pensions and a debt moratorium, they assert that the government is unable to fulfil commitments made during the 2020-21 protest.
However, their primary demand is legislation that ensures a support price for agricultural products.
In an effort to ensure food security, India implemented the MSP system in the 1960s, initially for wheat and subsequently expanded to include other critical commodities.
Advocates of MSP argue that safeguarding producers against financial losses resulting from price volatility is essential. They contend that by increasing income, farmers will have the capacity to invest in novel technologies, enhance productivity, and safeguard cultivators against deceitful intermediaries.
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Critics, however, assert that we must revise the system because it is unsustainable and will catastrophically affect government finances. Furthermore, they assert that it will ultimately be catastrophic for the agricultural industry, resulting in problems with storage and over-cultivation.
Federal Minister Piyush Goyal and other government officials have conducted four sessions of discussions with the farmers since the previous week. Mr. Goyal informed the press on Sunday that the discussions had been “constructive” and that the government was formulating a “unorthodox” resolution that would be advantageous to the economy, producers, and consumers.
However, on Monday, farmer leaders expressed their discontent with the manner in which the negotiations were proceeding, asserting that a lack of “transparency” was present.
