Explained | Why has the Samyukt Kisan Morcha refused to send representatives to the government committee set up to improve farming?  

What do the farmers want? What is the government’s stand?

The story so far: On July 18, the Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Ministry formed a committee, headed by former Agriculture Secretary Sanjay Agrawal, to “promote zero budget based farming, to change crop pattern keeping in mind the changing needs of the country, and to make MSP (minimum support price) more effective and transparent,” as promised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 19, 2021 while announcing the repeal of three controversial farm laws. Three slots were kept vacant in the 28-member committee to accommodate nominees of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), the umbrella body of about 300 farmers’ organisations that spearheaded the protests against the three farm laws. With the agenda not mentioning making of a law on MSP, the SKM, on July 19, rejected the government’s offer and said it will not send any of its representatives to the panel.

Since the repeal of the three laws, the Centre communicated with the SKM on the formation of the panel and sought names. In their replies, the SKM wanted to know the terms of reference of the proposed committee, names and details of other organisations and individuals who will be included in the committee, chairman’s details and so forth. The SKM claims that there were no replies to these queries and called for nationwide protests from July 19, the day the Monsoon session of Parliament began. The SKM says that the Centre hurriedly announced the committee to escape questions in Parliament about the delay. Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, however, has said that the formation of the committee was stalled due to non-receipt of the names of the representatives from the SKM.

The SKM, which faced a minor split recently, is upset that the former Agriculture Secretary is chairman of the panel as he was at the helm when the Centre launched the three farm laws as ordinances. It also alleges that Niti Aayog member Ramesh Chand, who is also in the panel, was the main advocate of the farm laws. Economists C.S.C. Shekhar and Sukhpal Singh have been against giving legal status to MSP, the SKM argues. Both factions of the SKM also allege that the five members representing other farmers’ associations are either directly associated with the BJP-RSS or support their policies.

According to the Centre, it had not promised the SKM a committee to ensure MSP. “The government had assured the formation of a committee to make MSP more effective and transparent, to promote natural farming and to change crop patterns keeping in mind the changing needs of the country. Accordingly, a committee has been constituted consisting of representatives of farmers, Central government, State governments, agricultural economists and scientists, etc.,” Mr. Tomar said in Parliament.

The farmers want legal guarantee of MSP, which should be as per the recommendation of the M.S. Swaminathan formula — C2 (input cost for the farming, including the land value) +50%; withdrawal of all cases against farmers who participated in protests and the resignation of the Minister of State for Home Affairs Ajay Teni over the Lakhimpur Kheri incident. On these demands, the SKM has started nationwide protests for a month from July 19. It also points out that there is no mention of making a law on MSP in the agenda of the committee. “That is, this question will not be placed before the committee. Some items have been put in the agenda on which the government committee is already established. In the name of reforms in agricultural marketing, an item has been inserted through which the government can try to bring back three black laws,” it says.

The government fixes MSPs for 22 mandated agricultural crops and fair and remunerative price (FRP) for sugarcane on the basis of the recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP), after considering the views of the State Governments and Central Ministries/Departments. The 22 mandated crops (the MSP is for a quintal) include 14 kharif crops such as paddy (₹2,040), jowar (₹2,970), bajra (₹2,350), maize (₹1,962), ragi (₹3,578), tur (arhar- ₹6,600), moong (₹7,755), urad (₹6,600), groundnut (₹5,850), soyabean (₹4,300), sunflower (₹6,400), cotton (₹6,080) and six rabi crops including wheat (₹2,015), barley (₹1,635), gram (₹5,230), masur (lentil ₹5,500) and mustard (₹5,050) and two commercial crops jute (₹4,750) and copra (₹10,590).

Farmers argue that the MSP is much less than the C2+50% formula. But the Centre says there is substantial improvement in the income of farmers as there is a consistent increase in MSP. “The struggle for the legal guarantee of MSP to ensure fair price for the crop to the farmers will continue,” the SKM says.