SKM Gears up for Next Protest on MSP, Loan Waiver in 500 Districts on Nov 26

New Delhi: The Samyukta Kisan Morcha, a collective of farmers organisations that led to the year-long movement against the now repealed three farm laws, on Thursday announced that it would hold protests in 500 districts across the county on November 26, to press for its demands on the fourth anniversary of the historic struggle. 

In a virtual press conference held on Thursday, SKM leaders said farmers’ organisations were particularly anguished with the “consistent apathy” of the government over their demands for minimum support price (MSP) as per the Swaminathan Commission formula, one time debt relief from all public and private lenders, curbing privatisation of electricity and insurance in public sector for crop and animal husbandry. It announced that the protests would be “comprehensive” in nature and will include all major sections of workers, farmers and agricultural workers.

After Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the decision to repeal the three farm laws, the Centre, through its Secretary (Farmers Welfare) Sanjay Agarwal, had assured the SKM leadership that it would form a committee, including representatives from the Centre and state governments, agricultural scientists and farmer leaders of different unions, with the mandate to devise methods to implement MSP.

The Centre’s letter dated December 9, 2021 also noted that the Union government in principle had agreed to withdraw criminal cases by its agencies against farmers for participation in struggle and that it would appeal to the state governments, too, to withdraw the cases. The Centre had assured SKM that it will also hold discussion on provisions impacting farmers in Electricity Amendment Act. 

However, the government’s invitation to SKM to the committee on Zero Budget Farming was turned down by the Morcha leaders, as they alleged the committee had majority members who had backed the farm laws. 

Why MSP is crucial

Farmers bodies have maintained that the Commission on Agriculture Costs and Prices (CACP), the Central body responsible for announcing MSP for procuring crops from farmers, has been employing a wrong methodology for calculating the input costs of seeds, fertiliser, herbicides, pesticides, diesel and harvesting. While CACP has used A2 + FL formula, the farmers has been asking for C2+ 50% for fair returns on the produce. A2 covers major costs, such as fertilisers, pesticides, herbicides and diesel among other costs and FL implies unpaid family labour. C2 refers to comprehensive costs, which also covers rents and forgone interest on land, apart from traditional costs.

Considering the MSP rates announced for the Kharif season in 2024, the farmers organisations maintained they lost Rs 704 per quintal for paddy alone. While the A2+FL rates for paddy were fixed at 1,533/quintal and the final MSP was fixed by summing A2 + FL + 50% (Rs 2,300/quintal). Similarly, for jowar hybrid, they said they had lost Rs 1,066 per quintal. 

SKM Gearing for New Phase of Struggle 

Addressing the press conference, Hannan Mollah, vice-president, All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS), said the National General Body of SKM met in New Delhi on Wednesday and discussed all these developments. All organisations were unanimous on the proposal to observe the November 26 protests at a “massive” level. In 2020, the farmers had given call to repeal three farm laws on this date. Similarly, workers unions had also appealed to revoke the four labour codes. 

“First, we sat at the borders of Delhi for a year and ensured three farm laws were repealed. Then, we gheraoed Governors in all state capitals for three days. Now, we want to take our struggle to the grassroot level in 500 districts. There would a campaign in 50,000 villages from November 7 to November 25,” he said.

Mollah added that a convention of Southern states units of SKM was held in Bengaluru on October 7-8, which decided to intensify the movement in the region. Similarly, there will be two meetings in Kolkata and Mumbai for the Eastern and Western states.

Darshan Pal, president, Krantikari Kisan Union, told the reporters that SKM was firm on its resolution to build broad-based unity among the toiling classes and build a stronger movement. 

“We are already together in struggles with the Joint Platform of Central Trade Unions. Now, we are also talking to the platform of agriculture workers’ unions. The constituents are very confident after the successful culmination of Bangalore convention. If government apathy on farmers’ issues continues, we would be compelled to give a call for a massive ‘Delhi Chalo’ by mid-2025 and the entire onus will be on Centre. We have been giving memorandums, from District Magistrates to the President, for the past two years. Now, the responsibility lies with the Centre now to mend its ways,” he said.

Raminder Singh Patiala from Kirti Kisan Union said SKM leaders also discussed political developments around the recent Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir Assembly election results and “vowed to expose and punish” the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Maharashtra and Jharkhand Assembly Elections in November this year.

“We are seeing a renewed assault on agriculture and farming community by the Centre through the Digital Agriculture Mission. It seeks to change the cropping pattern in the interests of multinational corporations. The mission seeks to digitise land records and crop patterns of six crore farmers till this year-end, and 9.3 crore farmers in the next few years,” he added.