Swaraj Abhiyan, along with several farmers organisations under the All-India Kisan Sangarsh Coordination committee, will hold protest across the country from March 14 demanding MSP and remunerative income for farmers.

The nation-wide satyagraha would start the Satyagraha at Yadgir mandi, in Karnataka, on March 14.

Representatives of these organisations will visit mandis (agricultural market yards) and interact with farmers and conduct public hearings to take stock of MSP implementation.

“MSP is supposed to assure farmers of a minimum income for farmers. It is meant to be a minimum support if the market doesn’t give them good income. But farmers across the country are not getting even this MSP,” said Yogendra Yadav, President, Swaraj Abhiyan. “The satyagraha is aimed at making farmers aware of the ways they are being looted and to raise the demand for legal entitlement of a fair MSP,” he said.

Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday, he alleged that farmers were getting a raw deal in the mandis when they sold their produce. “In case of chana, we have noticed that farmers are getting about ₹1,000 less than the MSP of ₹4,400 a quintal. A similar situation is seen with regard to other rabi crops,” he said.

The organisers of MSP satyagraha have estimated that the farmers have made a total loss of ₹32,702 crore in 2017-18 kharif season, as they were forced to sell their produce much below the MSP.

Rapeseed oil sells at about ₹3,500 a quintal against the MSP of ₹4,000. Lentil sells in the range of ₹3,200 to ₹3,800 against the MSP of ₹4,250.

Related Topics
comment COMMENT NOW