Farmers plead for justice as govts betray them

Many an important issue missed the much-needed attention of Parliamentarians due to the chaos that reigned in the just concluded winter session. One among the pressing concerns of the nation that went unnoticed quite sadly was a parliamentary committee report submitted on December 17 on the mini-mum support price (MSP) for farm produce. The committee also made a slew of measures to improve the farmers’ welfare.

Such a report, coming as it did amidst the raging protests of farmers on the issue, should have been de-liberated by all the parties, which could have paved a way for providing the much-needed succour to the much wronged Indian farming community. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Agriculture, Ani-mal Husbandry and Food Processing, chaired by former Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, strongly pitched for raising budgetary allocations, paying suitable compensation for stubble disposal and rolling out a debt waiver among a slew of measures.

The report comes against the backdrop of protests by farmers’ organisations since February at Punjab and Haryana border, spearheaded by Samyukta Kisan Morcha (non-political) and Kisan Mazdoor Mor-cha (KMM), for a legal guarantee of MSP on all crops. Vexed by vagaries of nature, insufficient credit, market volatilities and fleecing by various layers of middle men and officialdom, a large number of farm-ers have been demanding a legal guarantee for MSP to their produce. The committee which went over the plight of farmers rightly recommended that a legally binding MSP would assure financial stability for farmers, reduce the severity of farm distress driving suicides by farmers across the country. It also sug-gested certain measures that help mitigate market volatility and alleviate the sufferings of debt-ridden farmers.

One shall also take into account mental ill-health of farmers’ whose bodies are withering away in hot sun or cold winter. The Narendra Modi government should take note that the share of agriculture in India’s GDP declined to 15% in FY2022-23. What does it mean? During the financial year, 39 per cent of the ru-ral GDP was from the agriculture sector across India. According to the National Sample Survey Office’s (NSSO) Periodic Labour Force Survey (2018-19), the agricultural sector’s contribution to employment declined from 81 per cent in 1983 to 58 per cent in 2018. The rot had set in a long ago. But successive budgets paid no attention to the issue. For instance, the percentage share of agriculture in the total Cen-tral outlay declined from 3.53% in 2020-21 to 2.54% in 2024-25.

Unless agriculture prospers, the distress will persist and worsen, with serious implications for the overall rural prosperity. It has been said by a number of experts and committees that a considerable portion of farmers’ income is lost to usurious money lenders, transport, middlemen, wholesalers and retailers. “Implementing a legally binding MSP in India is essential not only for safeguarding farmers’ livelihoods, but also for promoting rural economic growth and enhancing national food security,” the committee re-port drives home the message. Legally guaranteeing MSP would also help ensure long-term food securi-ty for the nation by stabilising the production of foodgrains. Cannot we ensure a consistent income for farmers? Tears welling up in their eyes, they are throwing away their hard-cultivated produce right in their fields due to market fluctuations. Other measures such as strengthening cooperative farming on the lines of Amul model are also begging attention for years.

As the MPs had no time or concern about their plight, farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, who has been on a fast-unto-death for 26 days, and several unions have knocked on the doors of Supreme Court to direct the Centre to implement the parliamentary standing committee’s recommendations. Will they get justice?