BHOPAL: In perhaps the first of its kind development, the Burha village —which was reportedly the fountainhead of 2017 massive farmers’ agitation in western Madhya Pradesh—has unanimously passed a resolution, demanding Rs 7,000 per quintal MSP for soybean crop.
The resolution passed by the gram panchayat of the Patidar community dominated village on Wednesday, seeks per quintal minimum support price of Rs 7,000 for soybean, Rs 10,000 for groundnut, Rs 3,000 for corn and Rs 3,100 for paddy.
The resolution passed by the gram panchayat (which will be sent to the state and central governments) also seeks financial support from the state government and adequate compensation under the PM Crop Insurance Scheme for crops damaged by excessive rain.
The OBC Patidar community (which forms the BJP’s core voter base in western MP as well as neighbouring Gujarat) dominated Burha village, is a part of state’s deputy CM and finance minister Jagdish Devda’s Malhargarh assembly constituency.
“The resolution passed by the gram panchayat was necessary, as the soybean farming over the last three years is becoming a loss making activity for us. In one bighas of soybean farm, the average input cost is around Rs 5,000 to Rs 6000, but the per quintal yield from that crop will maximum fetch the current MSP of Rs 4,892.
What will that give us? Owing to excessive rains or drought-like situations over the last three soybean seasons, the produce has been badly hit,” two soybean farmers Dashrath and Hariom Patidar said.
Another soybean farmer Dilip Patidar added, “Sixty to 80% of our soybean crop has been damaged due to the recent spell of heavy rains. While the prices of edible oils are rising, the soybean crop’s procurement price isn’t being raised considerably.
This is why we’ve passed a resolution for Rs 7,000 per quintal MSP of soybean and Rs 10,000 per quintal MSP for groundnut, the two main crops for us.” The Burha village, was reportedly the fountainhead of massive farmers’ agitation in Mandsaur district during June 2017, while Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led BJP regime was in power in the state.
The movement which largely focused on demanding farm loan waiver had later turned violent in the same Mandsaur district, leading to the death of five farmers in police firing outside the Pipliyamandi police station.
Resolution seeks financial support
The resolution passed by the gram panchayat (which will be sent to the state and central governments) also seeks financial support from the state government and adequate compensation under the PM Crop Insurance Scheme for crops damaged by excessive rain.