Protesting farmers will march to Delhi after the Haryana government clears roadblocks at Shambhu border separating Haryana and Punjab. Jagjeet Singh Dallewal, president of Bharatiya Kisan Union Ekta Sidhupur, told NDTV they will continue their peaceful protest at Jantar Mantar or Ramlila Maidan in Delhi.

The farmers have been protesting against the Centre over various demands, including a Minimum Support Price (MSP) guarantee for crops. They have been camping at the Haryana border since February, when clashes broke out between cops and the protesters trying to march to Delhi.

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has now directed the state government to remove the barricades at the border. The high court has said the blockade is causing inconvenience to the commuters. The Haryana government has challenged the ruling in the Supreme Court, citing law and order concerns.

The farmer leader said if they are stopped again and the road is blocked, “the government will be responsible”.

Mr Dallewal said they have planned a peaceful protest at Ambala tomorrow and the day after to express solidarity with Navdeep Singh. Navdeep Singh was arrested during the protest in March and faces multiple charges, including rioting and attempt to murder.

Responding to the Haryana government’s challenge in the Supreme Court, the farmer leader said, “It is the government that has blocked the road, not farmers.”

Mr Dallewal also raised questions over the probe panel formed to investigate the death of Shubhkaran Singh during a clash between protesting farmers and Haryana security personnel in February.

A resident of Bathinda, the 21-year-old was killed at Khanauri on the Punjab-Haryana border on February 21.

New Delhi:

The Supreme Court has asked tough questions of the Haryana government after a High Court order this week directing the re-opening of the Shambhu border crossing, which has been locked down since February to block farmers protesting the centre’s agricultural policies from marching on Delhi.

“How can the state block a highway? It has a duty to regulate traffic… we are saying ‘keep the border open, but also control it,” the top court said Friday afternoon in oral observations on the matter.

In a humorous but telling moment, the two-judge bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan asked the state’s lawyer if he travelled by road, and specifically the highway.

“I think you travel by road…” Justice Kant asked, to which the lawyer replied, “Yes.”

“So you (too) must be facing trouble…” the judge shot back.

The state had appealed a section of the Punjab and Haryana High Court’s order, which directed a judicial inquiry into the death of farmer Shubhkaran Singh, 22. Mr Singh – one of thousands who had marched to Shambhu (on the Punjab-Haryana border) after talks broke down, and were met with fortifications of barbed wire, shipping containers, and cement barricades – was allegedly shot dead.

READ | High Court Orders Removal Of Barricades At Shambhu Border

The war zone-like blockades set up by the state stopped the army of farmers but also halted all traffic on the highway, which is one of the key roads leading into the national capital.

The High Court on Wednesday directed the highway to be re-opened within a week “on an experimental basis”, noting the number of farmers camped at the site had dwindled to a few hundred. “Both states shall endeavour to ensure the highway at Shambhu border is restored…”

Both states were also directed to take “effective steps to enforce law and order” at Shambhu and along the highway, “… if protesters do not remain within limits set down by the state”.

Faced with the High Court’s order, the Haryana government then moved the Supreme Court, and was promptly asked, “Why does the state want to challenge the order?”

The Supreme Court also reminded the ruling BJP that “farmers are citizens”, and suggested authorities, should they face mass protests in the future, ensure a measure of consideration.

“Give them food and good medical facilities. They will come, raise slogans and go back…”

Farmers’ Protests In February

In early February around 200 farmer unions – an estimated one lakh farmers from neighbouring Haryana, Punjab, and Uttar Pradesh – began moving towards Delhi in a replay of the 2020/21 protests, in which dozens died and the city was blockaded and cut-off for months.

First visuals of clashes between the farmers and police from Shambhu, which is around 200 km from Delhi, showed outnumbered cops dropping smoke bombs from drones to disperse the farmers.

NDTV ARCHIVES | Farmers Try To Cross Punjab-Haryana Border, Tear Gas Used

Videos also showed farmers, with scarves wrapped around their faces, jumping concrete barriers to push aside metal barricades, and war zone-like scenes with green fields shrouded in smoke and gun fire (from tear gas guns) in the background. In one video farmers are throwing stones at the police.

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New Delhi:

Nearly three decades ago, over a thousand farmers in Tamil Nadu, unhappy with government policies, filed nominations from a single constituency in the Lok Sabha polls to draw attention to their grievances.

It was also the only time when the Election Commission (EC) had to adapt by issuing a “ballot book” instead of traditional “ballot papers” to accommodate the unexpected 1,033 candidates from Erode district’s Modakurichi.

However, farmers from Punjab, who have been camping at the state’s border with Haryana for almost two months now, do not think electoral politics is the way to go.

These farmers began a march to Delhi on February 13 to press their demands for a legal guarantee of minimum support price (MSP) for their crops and a farm loan waiver, etc., but were stopped at the Haryana border by security personnel.

The farmers have been camping at the Shambhu and Khanauri points between Punjab and Haryana since then.

All India Kisan Sabha member Krishna Prasad said the farmers are committed to opposing the BJP government and its policies.

“But we do not plan to take that (electoral) route. In the mahapanchayat held in Delhi, we had announced our stance to oppose the BJP and expose its policies. We are united in this cause,” Prasad told PTI.

Rashtriya Kisan Mahasangh member Abhimanyu Kohar said, “We have been sitting at the borders since February 13 and we have distanced ourselves from electoral politics. We believe that all parties support farmers when in opposition but when in power, they all become pro-corporate and anti-farmer.” 

When 1,033 farmers from Modakurichi filed nominations for the 1996 Lok Sabha elections, the EC had to print “ballot papers like newspapers” and deploy over four-foot-tall ballot boxes. Voting hours were also extended to accommodate the long list of candidates.

In that election, DMK’s Subbulakshmi Jagadeesan emerged victorious, defeating ADMK’s R N Kittusamy.

Barring Jagadeesan, Kittusamy and an independent, all candidates lost their deposits. While 88 candidates received no votes, 158 polled just one vote each.

The 1996 general elections also saw the highest number of candidates at 13,000. Following this, the EC increased the security deposit amount from Rs 500 to Rs 10,000. This apparently helped in bringing down the number of contestants per seat to 8.75 in the 1998 Lok Sabha elections. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Nagpur, Maharashtra:

Weighing in on the fresh farmers’ protests that have emerged as a big political talking point going into the Lok Sabha elections, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said on Wednesday it was ‘politically motivated’.

In a near-rerun of the previous farm protests of 2020 against three agricultural laws brought by the government, farmers, riding tractors, massed at the gates of the national capital in response to a call for ‘Delhi Chalo’ to push for a host of demands, including a legal guarantee for MSP (minimum support price), loan write offs, and withdrawal of police cases during earlier protests, among others.

On whether the electoral fallout of the farm protests 2.0 could hurt the BJP-led NDA going into the general elections, the Union Minister said he was hopeful that the farmers won’t be ‘misled’ like last time and will demonstrate their electoral support for the government.

“The farmers’ protest is politically motivated. Our government, over the last two terms, made many decisions for the benefit and welfare of farmers. Our government has always stood with the farmers. I believe they will not be misled and will vote in our favour,” Nitin Gadkari told ANI on Wednesday.

Farmers’ groups, earlier, mobilised a massive movement in 2020-21 against the three farm laws that were brought by the central government. Faced with escalating protests, the Centre eventually rolled back the farm laws.

Meanwhile, speaking on ongoing probes against Opposition leaders and arrests by central investigating agencies, Nitin Gadkari said, “The agencies do their job. It has nothing to do with the government, leaders, ministers, or the Prime Minister. It is the law taking its course.”

Exuding confidence that the target set by the National Democratic Alliance of winning more than 400 seats could be accomplished, the Union Minister said, “We will definitely win more than 400 seats. I am confident. People throughout the country believe that to change the future of the country, to work for the welfare of farmers, the Bharatiya Janata Party government under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi need to be brought to power. We are sure of success.”

Rubbishing the remarks made by BJP MP Anantkumar Hegde for Karnataka, that the target of winning 400 seats was fixed by the party so that they can change the Constitution, Nitin Gadkari said, “There is no question of changing the constitution. We do not want to change the constitution. We will definitely protect the Constitution.”

Slamming the Congress, the Union Minister said, “During the rule of the Congress, the Constitution was broken 80 times. We respect the Constitution, and there is no question of changing it.”

On the Electoral Bonds scheme which was recently declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, Nitin Gadkari said, “We had implemented Electoral Bonds for transparency. The party needs money. We formulated Electoral Bonds so that the money comes in a formal transparent route. It is a matter of the Supreme Court. If something new comes up we will definitely think about it.”

Rubbishing claimed about consolidation of some section of voters towards him, Nitin Gadkari said, “I have never discriminated against any caste, sect, religion, language or party and no one voting for me has thought about such differences.”

Snubbing Uddhav Thackeray’s recent invitation to join the Maha Vikas Aghadi, the senior BJP leader said, “Even after knowing that I belong to BJP and am a volunteer of RSS, people still love me. Prime Minister has also said that ‘Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas’, we are good with everyone.”

On the party’s vote prospects in Maharashtra, where it has been accused of orchestrating splits in two parties, Nitin Gadkari said, “The triple engine government will win the elections in Maharashtra in a good way. The NDA will get more seats in Maharashtra than in the last election, and we will certainly emerge victorious.”

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Noida:

Police on Wednesday cautioned commuters about the possibility of traffic movement slowing down on the Noida-Delhi routes on Thursday in view of a proposed farmers’ protest in the national capital.

The Gautam Buddh Nagar police also said diversions could be placed at routes in Noida near Delhi borders, where “intensive” checking of vehicles would be carried out before allowing them passage towards the national capital.

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha, an umbrella body of farmers’ groups, has announced holding a ‘Kisan Mazdoor Mahapanchayat’ at the Ramlila Maidan in Delhi where a resolution would be passed to “intensify the fight” against the policies of the central government.

Farmers groups from western Uttar Pradesh are also likely to participate in the programme.

The Delhi Police has also permitted the farmers’ congregation with a condition that the gathering will neither have more than 5,000 participants, nor tractor trolleys would be allowed near the venue, according to officials.

“The general public is informed that a protest by farmers over their demands is proposed on Thursday,” police here said.

“During this programme, intensive checking will be done by the Delhi Police and the Gautam Buddh Nagar police by installing barriers on all the borders between Noida and Delhi, due to which, in case of an increase in traffic pressure on the routes from Gautam Buddh Nagar to Delhi border, traffic can be diverted as per requirement,” it said.

“In case of traffic inconvenience, you can contact the traffic helpline number 9971009001. Please use alternative routes to avoid inconvenience,” police cautioned commuters.

The Delhi Police has also issued a traffic advisory, urging commuters to avoid roads leading to central Delhi.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:
The protesting farmers will organise a rail blockade today to press their demands that include a legal guarantee for a safety net on the pricing of all crops.

Here are the top 10 points in this big story:

Chandigarh:

Farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal urged the Centre not to run away from its responsibility of giving legal guarantee for MSP on all crops as farmers prepare for the proposed “rail roko” protest today to press for their demands.

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha have called for a “rail roko” protest on Sunday over their various demands.

Citing reports, Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) leader Jagit Dallewal rejected the Centre’s plan to undertake guaranteed procurement of pulses (tur, urad, and masoor), maize, and cotton at the Minimum Support Price (MSP).

Speaking to reporters, Mr Dallewal asserted that farmers must be given MSP on all crops for their survival under the “C2 plus 50 per cent” formula recommended by the Swaminathan Commission. He also rejected claims that MSP on all crops would involve a huge outlay.

Mr Dallewal said the government is importing palm oil worth Rs 1.38 lakh crore but cannot spend on farmers by giving them MSP on all crops.

“The government should not run away from its responsibility. To save the country’s farmers, a law on MSP should be enacted,” he said.

Meanwhile, Kisan Mazdoor Morcha leader Sarwan Singh Pandher told reporters that the protesting farmers will squat on railway tracks at several places in Punjab, including Ferozepur, Amritsar, Rupnagar, and Gurdaspur districts.

The Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan), Bharti Kisan Union (Dakaunda-Dhaner), and the Krantikari Kisan Union – farmers’ bodies part of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha – will also participate in the “rail roko” agitation.

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha is not part of the “Delhi Chalo” call but has extended its support to the protesting farmers camping at the Shambhu and the Khanauri borders.

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha are spearheading the “Delhi Chalo” march to press the government to accept the farmers’ demands, including a legal guarantee for MSP on all crops.

The protesting farmers have been camping at the Shambhu and the Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana after their march to Delhi was stopped by security forces. The march began on February 13.

Earlier, farmer leaders rejected the BJP-led Centre’s proposal for procuring pulses, maize, and cotton at MSP by government agencies for five years, saying it was not in favour of the farmers.

During the fourth round of talks with farmer leaders on February 18, a panel of three Union ministers proposed that government agencies would buy pulses, maize, and cotton at MSP for five years after an agreement with the farmers.

The demands include pension for farmers and farm labourers, no hike in electricity tariff, withdrawal of police cases and “justice” for the victims of the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence, reinstatement of the Land Acquisition Act – 2013, and compensation to families of farmers who died during a previous agitation in 2020-21.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Protesting farmers will start marching towards Delhi to press their various demands to the central government today. The announcement has prompted the police to increase security at the Punjab and Haryana borders.

The Kisan Mazdoor Morcha and the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political), the two umbrella bodies that are leading the farmers’ protests, on March 3 gave a call to farmers from across the country to reach the national capital today.

They also called for a four-hour countrywide “rail roko” next week in support of their various demands, which include that the Centre should give a legal guarantee of the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for the crops.

The protesting farmers have been staying put at the Shambhu and the Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana after their “Delhi Chalo” march was stopped by security personnel on February 13.

While the farmers from Punjab and Haryana will continue the agitation at Shambhu and Khanauri border points, the farmers and farm labourers from other states have been asked to reach Delhi today.

Farmers’ ‘Rail Roko’ Protest

To intensify the agitation, farmer leaders have also called upon the farmers and labourers across the country for the ‘rail roko’ protest on March 10.

They have announced a countrywide ‘rail roko’ protest from 12 pm to 4 pm.

Farmers’ body Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), which spearheaded the 2020-21 agitation, has also announced a ‘Kisan Mahapanchayat’ in Delhi on March 14.

The SKM said that over 400 farmers’ outfits will participate in the ‘Kisan Mahapanchayat’ to press the Centre to accept their demands.

Delhi Police Step Up Vigil

The Delhi Police has directed its personnel to ensure strict vigil at the Tikri, Singhu and Ghazipur borders in view of the farmers’ protest.

Additional police and paramilitary forces have also been deployed at railway and metro stations and bus stands.

The police said checking will be intensified at various locations and that there may be traffic congestion in the capital.

Chandigarh:

Farmer leaders Sarwan Singh Pandher and Jagjit Singh Dallewal on Sunday gave a call to the farmers across the nation to reach Delhi on March 6 for a protest while they also gave a four-hour ‘rail roko’ countrywide call for March 10 in support of their various demands.

The two farmer leaders asserted that the farmers’ ongoing agitation will be intensified at the existing protest points and will continue till their demands are met by the government.

They were speaking in Bathinda district’s Balloh village, the native village of a farmer who died recently during clashes with the Haryana security personnel in Khanauri.

Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) are spearheading the ‘Delhi Chalo’ march by the farmers to press the government to accept their demands, which includes that the Centre should give a legal guarantee of the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for the crops.

Both forums decided that while the farmers from Punjab and Haryana will continue to support the ongoing agitation at Shambhu and Khanauri border points, the farmers and farm labourers from other states should reach Delhi on March 6 for a protest in the national capital in support of the farmers’ demands.

“The farmers from far away states, who cannot reach on tractor trolleys, should head to Delhi by trains and by other means of transport. It will also become clear whether the government allows those farmers to enter those farmers who go without tractor trolleys,” Sarwan Pandher said addressing the gathering at Balloh.

“At Shambhu and Khanauri, the agitation will continue like before and will be further intensified. Our agitation will continue till the demands are met,” he added.

Sarwan Pandher said the two forums to spread this agitation countrywide call upon the farmers and labourers across the country that the ‘rail roko’ protest will be held in the country from 12 pm to 4 pm on March 10 to put pressure on the government to meet the farmers’ demands.

Sarwan Pandher said that all Punjab panchayats should pass a resolution in support of the farmers’ demands and from every village a tractor trolley reaches the protest border points.

He said that the Centre had never before used drones in the farmers agitation as the Haryana Police used recently.

The Haryana authorities have barricaded Shambhu and Khanauri, and made it like the Punjab-Haryana international border, he said.

Sarwan Pandher said that the Centre used all tactics to stop their Delhi Chalo march.

“The Centre is trying to build a perception that the current agitation is limited to Punjab and the fight is led by only two forums. But we want to make it clear that more than 200 outfits in the country are part of the two forums,” he said.

Alleging the Centre does not want to resolve the farmers’ issue, Sarwan Pandher also accused the BJP of playing divisive politics to win the elections.

“Farmers and farm labourers are not on their agenda,” Sarwan Pandher claimed.

“But our fight will continue. The perception being created that the agitation may die down when Model Code of Conduct for the polls come into force is not correct. We may have to fight today, tomorrow, but we will continue fight for our rights,” he said.

Sarwan Pandher also reiterated that India should come out of WTO agreement.

Jagjit Dallewal on his part underlined, “We will have to fight till our last breath and we will fight till demands are met.” He said those who claim that agitation is limited to only Punjab, “then why curfew like situation has been imposed on Haryana borders”.

Meanwhile, some resolutions, including FIR against those officials who gave orders to fire rubber bullets and other ‘coercive’ action against the protesting farmers, were also passed on the occasion.

Talking to reporters later, Jagjit Dallewal said, “I want to clarify that our programme of Delhi Chalo stands. We will continue to protest in a peaceful manner.” “We will increase numbers on the borders where we are agitating,” he added.

Replying to a question, Jagjit Dallewal said though the Centre has not invited them for fresh round of talks, but they have never said no to talks whenever the government has invited them.

He said that the sacrifice of Shubhakaran Singh will not go in vain and the struggle will continue until the demands are met.

When asked that Samyukta Kisan Morcha, which spearheaded the 2020-21 farmers’ agitation, has said over 400 farmers’ outfits will participate in the ‘Kisan Mahapanchayat’ in Delhi on March 14 to press the Centre to accept the farmers’ demands, including a law on the MSP, Sarwan Pandher said that everyone has right to hold protest.

The protesting farmers have been staying put at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana after their “Delhi Chalo” march was stopped by the security forces.

They began their march on February 13 but were stopped by the security forces, which led to clashes at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points on Haryana-Punjab border. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Are the protests for a legalised MSP justified?

Lakhwinder Singh: These protests have been building up over time. In 2018 too, we saw tens of thousands of farmers from Maharashtra take to the streets. But their demands are perhaps not being listened to seriously, whether by State governments or the Central government.

Watch |What is Minimum Support Price?

There is a context to this. India introduced economic reforms in 1991 with a promise that we will soon become industrialised and the rural workforce will move from the agricultural to the industrial sector. More than 30 years later, agriculture has been squeezed in many ways but no one is talking about this agricultural crisis.

One of the most important demands of the farmers protesting this time is a legal guarantee for MSP. The public distribution system (PDS) gave support to farmers and ensured national food security. Now, India is expected to shift from food security to nutrition security. A legal guarantee for MSP for 23 crops is perhaps the way to do this. The farmers also want India to exit the WTO. We are in a phase of de-globalisation. When we have food shortages, for instance, the government imposes a ban on exports of food items (in defiance of the WTO). In a way, the demand of the farmers is in consonance with what the government does.

Also read | ‘MSP guarantee can nudge farmers to diversify beyond paddy and wheat, bolster incomes and consumption’

Siraj Hussain: The farmers are rightly concerned about the low prices of various crops. But their demands will not be accepted by any government in a hurry. We need a detailed, thorough review of agricultural trade policies and production and also what will happen to agriculture in the next 20-25 years.

After the 2020-21 protests, the government took seven months to set up a committee to look into this issue of MSP. More than a year and a half later, the committee has not even submitted an interim report.

Also read | Legal guarantee for MSP will make farmers drivers of GDP growth: Rahul Gandhi

Should MSP on all these crops be legalised? And will MSP survive without public procurement?

Siraj Hussain: The mandi system in the form of APMCs (agricultural produce market committees) is functional only in a few States. In most others, it is not functional. Less than one-third of the crop production in India is traded through mandis; the rest is sold by marginal farmers to village traders. So, even if MSP becomes legalised, it will be difficult to implement it because there is no record of who is buying and selling and at what rate. The government cannot be buying all the 23 crops – even for wheat and rice it faces lot of difficulties in procurement.

Lakhwinder Singh: Legalisation of MSP is in national interest. A large number of farmers sell commodities in informal markets. The government wants to make transactions digital and formal, so this is in consonance with the government’s aim. Also, the gross fixed capital formation in the agricultural sector after the 1991 reforms has gone down tremendously. Farmers are in distress. Legalising MSP is the answer. Let me add that the government is not expected to buy all the 23 crops. But if at least 5-10% of the produce is purchased, it would be a marginal intervention and stabilise the prices.

Editorial | Farming consensus: On the government and the farmers on protest

Is it possible to extend the MSP system to the entire country, especially for subsistence farmers, as the government claims?

Siraj Hussain: Yes. Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Odisha have shown that the procurement system can be expanded. Even in Bihar, West Bengal, and Tamil Nadu, procurement of rice has increased over the last few years. But that is not the question. The question is whether the government should be procuring so much. It has been procuring 50-60 million tonnes of rice. Is that a good policy regime? The root cause is PDS and now the government has made it free. That means that the government will continue to procure large quantities of wheat and rice.

Another concern is that legalised MSP will result in high prices affecting the consumers.

Siraj Hussain: I do not think it is possible for any government to procure all the commodities. It is not possible for the government to fix an MSP for everything. The basic question is how to ensure a remunerative price to farmers. My view is that it should be a State by State policy. Every State has a different regime. In Punjab, for instance, a price payment deficiency system is possible because the mandi system is well developed and the distance between two mandis is only 6 km, whereas at the all-India level it is 12 km. The States and the Centre should be talking to one another. Experts have to come up with a policy which will ensure that farmers receive a fair and remunerative price.

Where is the farmers’ protest heading? | In Focus podcast

Another question which you should be asking macroeconomists is on food inflation. The government must also look after the interests of consumers. They have to try and balance the policies of import, export, and domestic MSP.

Lakhwinder Singh: When the government is not interested in legalising MSP and intellectuals are not interested in discussing these issues, fear is created among consumers that they are going to be fleeced. And a binary is created of farmers and consumers. The government is an intermediary, which has to protect the rights of both consumers and producers.

In Frames |Farmers’ protests 2024

The most striking issue is food inflation. The local prices at which farmers are selling their produce are very low and do not cover the major costs involved (in production). On the other hand, consumers are facing huge price rise. Legalising MSP will reduce inflation, protect consumers, and give a relatively reasonable income to the farmers.

Also, regulating markets is important. The government has withdrawn from the regulatory mechanism and therefore in unorganised markets, intermediaries are active and creating inflationary pressures on the economy.

Farmers are also worried about input cost calculation methods such as A2+FL and C2+50%. What could be the best mechanism to calculate the input costs?

Lakhwinder Singh: The idea of C2+50% cost has come from industry. Agriculture requires remunerative prices. I think the C2 estimation of costs for agricultural crops is going to be almost comparable with other prices which we have in various sectors of the economy.

Siraj Hussain: There have been several suggestions, including a report by Dr. Ramesh Chand, about certain changes in the methodology of calculating the cost of cultivation. Those changes have not yet been decided. The problem is whatever price you fix, you are not able to ensure the A2+FL price. Sometimes, the price is so low that it is below the cost of cultivation.

Also read | Don’t consider our discipline and preference for dialogue as weakness: RSS farmers body tells government

The answer is not easy to find. The government cannot be deciding the prices of every agricultural commodity. Many farmers and organisations prefer selling to corporates because there used to be a lot of glut of at one point of time. Now, at least there are some large buyers. So, we can’t say that corporates should be completely prevented from purchasing and storing agricultural commodities.

Are cooperatives an alternative to help farmers?

Siraj Hussain: Cooperatives have been successful in certain sectors. For example, in the milk sector, they brought the White Revolution in Gujarat. It was due to the failure of cooperatives that the government came up with the idea of farmer-producer organisations (FPOs). Now, we are going back to cooperatives. Any form of aggregation which can help the farmers in realising better prices is welcome. But both cooperatives and FPOs have been captured by influential vested interests in rural areas. If cooperatives can create storage structures where the farmers can store their produce at reasonable prices to reap the benefits of higher prices in the off season, they are welcome.

Lakhwinder Singh: When we have to look for alternatives, we cannot rely on a single intervention. If you want to promote cooperatives, bring in a law and storage capacity. Government-supported cooperatives have failed because of corruption. This organisation has a future, but we need a legal framework within which they can flourish. And they need supportive infrastructure.

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