Protest to Have Far-Reaching Consequences in Haryana, Punjab Politics, Say Farmers

Sitting inside his covered tractor, Yadavinder Singh Bal closely monitors news items about the farmers’ movement on his mobile phone. Bal, who hails from Chhajjalwaddi village in Amritsar, came with others from his village who are camping at Delhi’s Singhu Border from November 28 to protest the three Farm Laws, which farmers unions allege would lead to a corporate takeover of rural India.

Narrating the story of his journey from his village to the national capital, Bal maintained it was primarily mounting debt which compelled him to join the march. “The tractor in which we are sitting costs about Rs 8.5 lakh, which no small farmer can buy without mortgaging his land. We could still muster enough courage and buy it because it is a necessary machine for agriculture and we had some support in the form of government procurement at minimum support price (MSP) in APMC mandis. If the black laws come into force, it will ruin us completely.”

When asked about the debt and the return he gets from his crops, Bal recounted the recent sale of his maize crop to NewsClick. “The sowing process starts from watering the land, which would consume diesel worth Rs 2,500. Then, we spread DAP fertiliser twice through the crop, which costs Rs 2,400 and Rs 1,400. Seeds, herbicides and urea per acre costs about Rs 4,500, Rs 1,400 and Rs 540 per acre. Pesticides would cost an additional Rs 2,200. After the first spell, maize needs additional water to grow, which, in turn, would consume diesel worth Rs 6,000. Once the crop is ready, harvesting, extraction and labour costs Rs 2,000, Rs 2,000 and Rs 1,000 respectively. If you add the costs, it comes to Rs 25,940. I grew about 34 quintals in an acre. When I went to market to sell my produce, nobody quoted a price more than Rs 820 per quintal, although the government announced MSP at Rs 1,800 per quintal. I had to be satisfied with Rs 27,880 per acre, a mere difference of Rs 1,940 per acre. Now, would a farmer not be agitated?! It is this situation which compels us to take loans from banks and moneylenders,” he said.

Bal also fumed at the attitude of both mainstream parties – Congress and the Shiromani Akali Dal – about how they initially reacted to the issue. “The Akali Dal remained in government until the farmers started questioning its stand. On the surface, both position themselves differently but apply the same policies when they are elected to power,” he reasoned.

Asked if the movement will give rise to a new leadership in Haryana and Punjab, Bal said that it would be “interesting to observe how politics changes prior to the elections in 2022. People have seen their faces now and they will hold them accountable. I strongly think a new leadership will come up over the existing one and would be more responsible. Take the example of Delhi. Arvind Kejriwal and other people came out of the Anna movement and are providing responsible administration. So, we are hopeful.”

Gurudev Singh, who hail from Navashahar in Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar, has another interesting tale about maize and its harvesting. Singh, whose children are settled in the US and Australia, said the government and the seed companies lured them with promises of increased production, “but it did not tell us that we would not be able to get seeds from the crop. Thus, we are completely dependent on foreign companies for costly seeds and fertilisers. It is their monopoly now.”

Singh also shared the experience of potato growers from his district, and how big companies like Mahindra duped them through contract farming. “First they would procure the crop through contracts. They wanted a typical size and quality for their potatoes. If we had less production, they would simply deny the rates promised. Given the risk and underpayment, the farmers started abandoning it. Now, farmers grow for local consumption only.”

NewsClick also met Washaka Singh Khalsa from Ludhiana, who shows a paper clipping of former Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal inaugurating the warehousing facility of Adani Agro on the Moga Ferozpur Highway. “We consider the Akali and Congress leadership equally guilty, as they gave their consent without consulting the farmers. We appeal to people of Punjab to identify the traitors and give them a befitting reply when they come to seek your votes.”

Karnail Singh, who came from Ropar in Punjab, suggested that the movement has forged an unprecedented unity among the farmers of Punjab and Haryana, which would lead to a positive change in the politics of the region.

Singh, who is a member of the All India Kisan Sabha, told NewsClick that “they (politicians) always created a rift among the people on the issue of water sharing through the Satluj Yamuna Link Canal or on the ownership of Chandigarh. But this time, our brothers from Haryana came forward and fought for us. It’s certainly a positive change.”

Asked if he too expects a new leadership from the movement, he nodded and said: “We have been saying for the last three decades that the government is handing agriculture to corporates and big MNCs through agreements at the World Trade Organisation. Now, our words are getting validated. The speed of privatisation was indeed slow and it took a long time for people to realise the impact. But they have seen their enemy now and they will defeat it.”