The main demand of the farmers includes a guarantee of MSP. MSP is the fixed price at which central and state governments and their agencies buy food grains from farmers.
Thousands of farmers in Punjab are trying to reach Delhi for the protest. Farmers’ organisations in the state have called for a delhi chalo. This protest is about minimum support price i.e. MSP. Also, the farmers have stuck to several other demands like implementation of the Swaminathan Commission report, strict action on the Lakhimpur Kheri incident.
Earlier on Monday night, a meeting was held between the union government and ministers of farmer unions where several issues, including MSP, were discussed. However, the issue of ensuring minimum support price of crops remains unresolved.
MSP is a fixed price at which central and state governments and their agencies procure foodgrains from farmers. The procurement is done under the central pool which is used to provide foodgrains under the Public Distribution System (PDS) and other welfare schemes. In addition, cereals are also stored as buffer stocks. However, in the last few years, farmers have been demanded to ensure MSP on all kinds of crops.
There is AN MSP for 14 kharif crops. These crops are paddy, jowar, bajra, ragi, maize, arhar, moong, urad, peanuts, sunflower seeds, soybeans, sesame seeds, nigerbies and cotton. At the same time, MSP is provided for 10 rabi crops. These crops are wheat, barley, gram, masoor, mustard, sofaflower, rapeseed and other crops, copra, haskless coconut and jute.
Procurement of foodgrains is mainly concentrated in some states. Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana, the three largest producing states in the country, procure most of the wheat. The six largest rice producing states Punjab, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Haryana are mostly responsible for procurement.
The protesting farmers travelling from Punjab to Delhi have demanded that the Centre bring a law guaranteeing minimum support price or MSP. Ahead of the march to Delhi, a meeting between farmers and union ministers was held on February 12, but it could not agree on demands such as the ASP.
Farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher told PTI that their three main demands MSP guarantee, farm loan waiver and pension to farmers above 60 years of age cannot be agreed upon.