Farmer’s protest 2.0: What’s it all about

The 2024 Indian farmers' protest began on February 13. Their main requests--securing legal assurance for the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for all crops and complete forgiveness of loans for all farmers.

A group of 250 farmers' unions, organized under the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha and the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (a non-political platform consisting of 150 unions) from Punjab, are leading the ongoing protest.

Farmers, on Thursday, went with their ‘Delhi Chalo’ march after being halted for weeks by authorities who used tear gas, detained a number of farmers and heavily barricaded entry points into the capital. 

According to farmer leaders, there is still a lack of clarity on legal guarantees for the minimum support price (MSP) as there has been inconclusive talks with Union ministers earlier this week, on Monday.

Farmer’s agitation 2.0 (2024):
The renewed farmer’s protest led by ‘Samyukt Kisan Morcha’ (Non-Political) and the ‘Kisan Mazdoor Morcha’ are demanding a host of measures from the Central government which they say are required for the financial viability of farming.

Despite  stringent attempts by authorities to stop farmers from entering the capital, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), which gave the call for the “Mahapanchayat” on February 22 at a meeting in Chandigarh, got no-objection certificates for the gathering from police and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi. 

The main demand this time is legal guarantee of minimum support price (MSP) for all the crops which was also among a dozen demands besides the repeal of farm laws during earlier protests. The farmers have also alleged the government has failed to fulfill the promises made in 2020–2021.

The government sets the MSP for nearly two dozen commodities twice a year on the basis of the recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices. Most of the crop procurement under MSP is from Punjab and Haryana and of mainly wheat and rice produce, which supports the government's public distribution system. Farmers want a law that guarantees MSP on every crop, reported the Economic Times.

However, the government has multiple concerns over the demand for a legal guarantee, such as global prices, pressure on the government for procurement, export competitiveness and central expenditure. 

The farmers are also demanding full debt waiver for farmers, pension for farmers, electricity amendment bill, the implementation of the Swaminathan Commission's formula, and withdrawal of cases against farmers during the 2020 protest. 

A little about Swaminathan Commission:
Late MS Swaminathan, a renowned agriculturist had chaired the National Commission on Farmers which submitted a total of five reports between December 2004-2006.

The key findings of the report were that agrarian crisis caused by unfinished agenda in land reform, quantity and quality of water, technology fatigue, access, adequacy and timeliness of institutional credit, and opportunities for assured and remunerative marketing including adverse meteorological factors have led to farmers’ suicides.

The report recommended that farmers need to have assured access and control over basic resources, which include land, water, bioresources, credit and insurance, technology and knowledge management, and markets.  

It suggested issuing Kisan Credit Cards to female farmers including reduction in the rate of crop loans to 4 per cent 'simple', with government support and creation of a Rural Insurance Development Fund, which would help fund the development work for spreading rural insurance.

Farmer’s protest 2020-2021:
The farmer’s agitation in the year 2020 led by Bhartiya Kisan Union, and Samyukt Kisan Morcha, was to repeal the three farm laws passed in September 2020-- the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020; the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020; and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, 2020.

The three farm laws brought by the government promised profitable prices to farmers by linking them to open markets. However, the farmers rejected the law, saying it will put them at the mercy of private companies.

The concern of the farmers was that the laws eliminated government's involvement in agriculture and created greater opportunities for the private sector, which would make them vulnerable to businesses.
The government accepted the demands of farmers after nearly two years of protests.