Farmers Movement Archive

Unmoved by new agri laws, state ryots face crop losses

Nagpur: As farmers in Punjab and Haryana are on a warpath against the central government, the peasants of Maharashtra — the state known for agrarian crisis — remains indifferent. Activists say even as this is one of the worst years for the farmers here, the dynamics in Maharashtra are different as compared to the northern states, due to which the new farm laws may not have an immediate impact. The rates of cotton and soybean, the main crops of the region, have improved but farmers have suffered losses in both, say activists. The farmers in Punjab and Haryana mainly cultivate wheat and paddy for which they depend on the Food Corporation of India (FCI) for procurement at MSP. They fear that dilution of the MSP under new laws will hamper their interests. Farmers in the state including Vidarbha since long have been exposed to the private traders. MSP intervention has happened only as and when needed, said observers. The state government too has deferred the implementation of the three agriculture laws that allow sale of farm produce out of the agriculture produce market committees (APMC) and contract farming apart from removing commodities like cereals, pulses, onions and potatoes from the list of essential commodities. This week a bonus of Rs700 a quintal was also announced for paddy procurement by the state government. Sugar cane growers already get what is called fair and remunerative price (FRP). This is the least which the sugar factories have to pay, or else can face action. Buying at minimum support price (MSP) has also begun by the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) in Vidarbha and cotton growing parts. Rates of soybean too are above the MSP. Despite all the factors, it’s a tough year for the farmers, say activists. The MSP for cotton is at Rs5,800 a quintal. Apart from CCI procurement, private traders too are offering up to Rs5,700. Soybean rates are above MSP of Rs3,880 a quintal. “Rates of cotton and soybean have improved only because of a low output. Soybean produce has gone below half of the last year’s average, so is with cotton. If the shortage has increased the rates, it may be of a little help for the farmer,” said Shetkari Sangathana veteran Vijay Jawandhia. He said there are reports of farmers plucking off cotton plants to replace it with gram, but only those with irrigation facilities can go for a second crop. Former member of Parliament from Swabhiman Paksha, Raju Shetti said the district wise protests were held in every district this month. “The new farm laws may not have an immediate impact on the farmers here but will certainly affect in the long run,” he said. Shetti said there is a need to ensure that farmers are mandatorily paid the MSP by private traders as it happens in sugar cane. The mill cannot pay less than the FRP. He accepted that it was a bad year with soybean and cotton growers facing major losses. Kishore Tiwari, the chairman of Vasantrao Naik Shetkari Swavalamban Mission (VNSSM), said procurement has begun for even crops like maize which is not a major produce. However, losses in cotton and soybean are much more.

The Times of India

2020-11-30

Nagpur