Reasons why debt-stricken farmers are protesting in the capital

BusinessToday.In

Nov 30, 2018,
Updated Nov 30, 2018 8:10 PM IST

Thousands of farmers from across India marched till Parliament street in the capital to press for their long-standing demands regarding the agrarian crisis in the country. They are asking for a special session of parliament to discuss their demands for which they have been protesting for the last 18 months. Their key demands are encompassed in two bills: The Farmers' (Right To Assured Price For Agricultural Produce) Bill, 2017 and the Debt Bill, 2017

Special session of ParliamentNearly one lakh farmers reached Delhi to demand their rights. What they want is a 21-day session of Parliament to address the agrarian crisis to resolve their grievances. They want them to pass two bills, the farmers' bill and the debt bill. This is not the first time they have protested.For the past three years they have been protesting across India and finally the protests have gathered momentum. They have demanded favourable policies and initiatives which would get them a fair price for their produce.

The fixing of MSP

The farmers are demanding a Minimum Support Price of 1.5 times the input cost of farm produce. Farmers in India fetched about Rs 360 bn less last crop season due to lower market price of cotton, rice, corn, soybean. More than 60 per cent markets in India are selling produce below the Minimum Support Price.

Reduction in cost of cultivationThe Economic Survey 2018 says that use of improved implements can increase productivity and reduce cost of production, the latter by 20 percent. Farm mechanisation can go a long way in this but only if its affordable for the farmers.

Immediate debt reliefThis would include waiving off existing loans as well as protecting farmers from future debt trap by setting up a Farmers' Debt Relief Commission. They need immediate waiver of all outstanding loans of all farmers and this should include all banks

Effective disaster reliefFarmers have been waiting for relief from the government in the wake of natural disasters and calamities. Help has been slow in coming. Many of the protesting farmers are those who want to recover money promised to them during a natural calamity. Relief is supposed to be provided by the state government's National Disaster Response Fund. An amount of Rs.22972.30 crore has been approved from NDRF during 2015-16 to 2017-18 but it seems that relief has not yet reached the farmers.

Safeguarding interests of small farmersNational Commission on Farmers President MS Swaminathan had submitted 5 reports between 2004 and 2006 . He had identified causes for farm distress and given suggestions to the then government. The underlying theme of his suggestions was to uplift the lives of small farmers. Swaminathan had suggested that ceiling-surplus and waste land should be distributed among farmers. The share of the bottom half of the rural households in the total land ownership was only 3 per cent and the top 10 per cent was as high as 54 per cent. One of the demands of the agitating farmers today is that they should be made the owner of the land they have been tilling for years.