The Delhi borders are anticipated to witness renewed tensions starting Wednesday, as farmers in protest have dismissed the government’s proposition of a five-year contract for purchasing maize, cotton, and three types of pulses at the existing minimum support price (MSP).
The announcement from the protesting farmers followed criticism from the Samyukt Kisan Morcha, an umbrella organization of farmer unions not currently involved in the protests, regarding the MSP proposal.
At a press conference at the Shambhu border, between Punjab and Haryana, farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher stated that the proposal is unacceptable to them, and the protesting farmers will resume their peaceful march towards Delhi on Wednesday.
Providing reasons for rejecting the proposal, farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal explained, “The government made the proposal on Sunday night, and we have studied it. It doesn’t make sense for the MSP to apply to only two or three crops and for the other farmers to be left to fend for themselves.”
He added, “The honorable minister said yesterday that if the government guarantees MSP on pulses, it will put an additional burden of ₹1.5 lakh crore. A study by (former Agricultural Price Commission chairman) Prakash Kammardi has, however, revealed that the total cost will be ₹1.75 lakh crore for all crops.”
Pointing out that the government spends ₹1.75 lakh crore to import palm oil, which he claimed is harmful to health, Mr. Dallewal suggested that the same amount could be used to help farmers grow oilseeds, for which MSP could be declared.
Mr. Dallewal claimed that the government plans to provide support prices only to farmers opting for crop diversification and moving towards crops under the MSP umbrella, excluding farmers already growing these crops.
“We have demanded MSP on 23 crops. The amount that is given is a ‘minimum’ support price, that helps with subsistence, not income. If they are not agreeing to a legal guarantee, it means that the farmers will continue to suffer. We have, thus, decided to reject the proposal,” he said.
Food and Public Distribution Minister Piyush Goyal had announced after the meeting on Sunday that government agencies would sign a contract with farmers for the next five years for the procurement of pulses, maize, and cotton crops, with no limit on the buying quantity.
The core issue for the protesting farmers remains the demand for a law on MSP, along with other demands, such as a loan waiver, implementation of the Swaminathan Commission’s recommendations, pension for farmers and farm laborers, withdrawal of police cases, and justice for farmers killed in Uttar Pradesh’s Lakhimpur Kheri.
Concerns arise over potential chaos as nearly 1 lakh farmers, supported by about 200 unions, plan to resume their march on Delhi. Farmer groups in Noida and Greater Noida have also announced plans to march to the capital on Friday, adding to the potential challenges.