Having scored a major victory with the repeal of the controversial farm laws, the farmers of the country now appear determined to seek a fair price for their produce. In a significant development, a group of farmers have floated a new front to press for their demand for a law guaranteeing minimum support prices for agricultural produce.
A prominent farmer leader, who is a two-term Lok Sabha member, recently told the media that a decision to launch the MSP Guarantee Kisan Morcha was taken at a meeting of various farmers’ organizations. Now an agitation for seeking a fair MSP will be launched under the banner of this Morcha. Members of the organization will visit different districts to create awareness on the issue. The meeting of farmers was attended by farmer leaders from various parts of the country, including Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab and Jharkhand.
The leaders decided to push for adopting a resolution by every gram sabha (village council) demanding statutory guarantee for minimum support price for farm produce. Leaders said that village councils will be urged to send such resolutions to the President of India. A three-day farmers’ convention will also be held to announce a nationwide agitation on the issue. Leaders want that farmers should get MSP for their farm produce on the lines of the Fair Remunerative Price that is fixed by the Centre for payments to cane growers.
It is pertinent to mention that Odisha government has been championing farmers’ cause on the issue of MSP for a long time. The Naveen Patnaik government, which had refused to back the Centre’s controversial farm laws which had the farming community of the country up in arms, has been campaigning for enhanced minimum support price (MSP) for farm produce, especially paddy which happens to be Odisha’s main crop. The state government, which has taken up the issue at various forums, has sought implementation of Swaminathan Committee recommendations on MSP which, if adhered to, will raise the price of paddy per quintal to Rs. 2930.
A reliable friend of farmers, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has also taken several other measures to ensure the development of the agriculture sector in the state. Some time ago he had raised with the Centre the issue of paddy procurement from Odisha by the Food Corporation of India (FCI) and had demanded adequate supply of fertilizers to the state. His government has also come up with innovative schemes such as KALIA to make farmers self-reliant. Patnaik, who had announced a special package for the farmers hit by cyclone Yaas that wreaked havoc in the state some time ago, has been putting pressure on the Centre to step up the supply of fertilizers to Odisha where deficient rains had hit farm prospects in several districts. But the most important issue, of course, is MSP which needs to be pursued seriously.
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