BENGALURU: A national-level meeting of farmer leaders will be held in New Delhi on January 8 to decide the future course of the nationwide farmer movement on the implementation of the Minimum Support Price Guarantee Act for agricultural produce.
In case the government drags its feet on the Act, a nationwide agitation will be held, said Jagjit Singh Dhalewala, national leader of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha. “The Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture and the Supreme Court-appointed High Powered Committee submitted reports, suggesting that the MSP Guarantee Act should be implemented for the welfare of the farming community.
However, the Central Government is not working in this direction,” he said. “Our Prime Minister is advocating Swadeshi and Atma Nirbhar operations, but on the other hand, the Centre is importing agricultural produce worth over Rs 2.5 lakh crore every year. Farmers are not getting the correct minimum support price (MSP) for their crops, causing huge financial losses to the farming community.
Over 7,00,00 farmers have committed suicide because of the wrong policies of successive governments,” he said. Kuruburu Shanthakumar, Sanyukta Kisan Morcha leader from Karnataka, said the a judge from the Karnataka High Court gave a befitting warning to sugar factory owners for harassing farmers by not giving sufficient rates for their produce and obtaining court stay whenever the government passed orders in favour of the farming community.
“It is a welcome development. At least now, sugar factory owners should pay the fixed amount to farmers,” he said. “Farmers here are opposing the agriculture trade agreement between India and the US. The Centre should stay away from this agreement,” Shanthakumar said.