Struggle About Reclaiming Rights, Stopping Profiteers and Big Corporates, Say Farmers from Terai

The dusk had fallen and the farmers, now scattered, were camping inside temporary tents to save themselves from the chilly winds. The light was dim as the source of electricity was mainly the tractor batteries being used for charging the phones and speakers. Contrary to the mood outside the tents, the faces of the farmers were beaming with cheer and joy inside. Although the discussion largely revolved around the struggle and the government’s attitude, the looming question remained if the struggle will have the desired ramifications. 

Among the protesting farmers from Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, a contingent of Sikh farmers from Terai region in Uttarakhand has also joined to show their opposition to the three farm laws — which some leaders are referring to as ‘state-sponsored atrocities’ on the people of the country.

Daljeet Singh, who hails from Shaheed Udham Singh Nagar in Uttarakhand, maintained that the laws are devastating for farmers like him who are already victims of bureaucratic apathy when it comes to procurement of grains from the government markets. He said, “The government does purchase the produce from mandis, but the speed of procurement is slow to the extent that it will take years to procure grains of one season! A market committee hardly buys 500 quintals in a day. I grow about 800 quintals, but can only sell 200 quintals in the market. The rest of the produce would go to private traders because we cannot store for long. I sold my paddy at Rs 1,400 per quintal; whereas, the minimum support price was Rs 1,888 per quintal. The cost per quintal would be around 1200. What am I saving ? Merely Rs 200 for putting in all of  my labour and time. It is sheer ignorance and incompetence of the government. With these laws, the big corporates would feed on our bodies like vultures while we would sink deeper and deeper in debt.”

The Terai region spans through Pilibheet, Rampur and Lakhimpur Khiri in Uttar Pradesh and Udham Singh Nagar, Bazpur, Jaspur, Rudrapur and Haldwani in Uttarakhand. Singh shared an interesting tale about prominent presence of Sikh population in Terai region. He said, “The Sikh population settled in the region after they were uprooted from their land in Pakistan during the Partition. The region faced a major outbreak of plague during the same time and local people fled the region. Seeing the situation, the nawab of Rampur asked the Maharaja of Patiala to send workers to clear the woods. When woods were cleared, the Sikh workers were given pattas and that’s how we settled in the region.”

Singh, who is also the Pradhan of his Panchayat, said that the farmers sow different crops round the year to maintain the fertility of the land. He said, “I grow wheat, paddy, sugarcane and pea in my 32-acre farm. Paddy is no more remunerative. Wheat, if the weather conditions are perfect, could get some return. Pea is sold in open markets and the returns solely depend on the rate that day. As far as sugarcane is concerned, we spend around Rs 60,000 per acre; whereas, we get around Rs 95,000 per acre. However, the payments by the sugar mills would be made a year later only. So, it is a ‘loss only’ situation. That’s why we are demanding guarantees on MSP and subsequent government procurement.”

Commenting on the wrath of the farmers at the purported attempts at privatisation by the government, Singh told NewsClick, “The government has sold everything — from airports to highways and ports. We saw clearly how BSNL was weakened by not allocating 4G licenses. The same thing will happen to APMCs if the laws come into force. After selling the entire country, he intends to sell the farmers. We will not be sold.”

Young Amarpal Singh Sidhu, strolling around the protest site, told NewsClick that the struggle is more about reclaiming the rights the farmers lost to the private profiteers. Sandhu, who came from Bazpur in Uttarakhand, said “It is entirely on the mood of the district magistrate when it comes to deciding the quantity to be procured. There’s no help from the government. Modi ji speaks about the aid of Rs 6,000 to the farmers. That translates to Rs 17 per day. Can we survive on this income? Additionally, there is no compensation mechanism for damaged crops. For us in the Terai region, hail storms or floods are not new. All we get is more debt with every single passing day. I am currently under a debt of Rs 17 lakh.” 

When asked about a possible solution, Sandhu replied, “Please give to them what the farmers are asking. Include our costs, risk factors and most importantly inflation in MSP and ensure timely government procurement.”

Another young boy besides Sandhu, Gursimran Singh, intervened and said, “It is high time the government stops fooling us. We, too, have read the law. When agriculture is a state subject, how can they make a central law on it? Now, Tomar is saying the laws are made about the trade, not agriculture. I think he thinks of himself as clever, but he is not.”

Also read: Paddy Prices Have Crashed Below MSP in Many States