Rumblings Mark India's Agro Turf Ahead of Polls

India’s agro turf continues to witness rumblings as the country heads towards the next Lok Sabha polls in less than a year. If the mood in the rural landscape is to be gauged, the indications are that the political parties will not be able to skirt farm issues that are varied across the states.

Even as the issue of minimum support price (MSP) on the entire agriculture produce stands out as a common one, the last one month has seen different issues pertaining to the peasantry being aired across the country.

Beginning with the apple producing hill states, there is a lot of resentment against the move of the Central government to reduce the import duty on Washington apple from 70% to 50%. While the growers feel that this will devastate the apple economy that is already plagued by several other unresolved issues, the government has reportedly claimed that it has sufficient policy space for the growers if there is any implication of the move.

India had enhanced the duty on Washington apples in 2018 along with other imports as a retaliatory move against the United States for imposing a higher duty on steel and ammonia.

Himachal Pradesh’s Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has pointed out that the move will hit his state’s economy and has promised that he will take up the issue with the centre. He has demanded that the import duty on all types of foreign apples be increased to 100 %.

He pointed out that during 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised to increase the import duty on foreign apples and to blend five percent apple concentrate in all types of cold drinks. He said the decision of the Union Government to reduce the import duty on Washington apples will lead to a decline in the demand for Himachal apples in the international market and will directly affect the growers.

This move of the Centre comes after a ‘positive decision’ taken last month wherein it banned the import of apples if the imported price is less than Rs 50 per kg. This condition will not be applicable to Bhutan. The decision had come mainly to check the undervaluing of apples imported mainly from Iran and Turkey.

“One on hand you apply restrictions and on the other you encourage import,” said Sanjay Chauhan who is a leader of the Apple Growers’ Association. The Association plans to hold protests in around 30 blocks of the apple producing districts in the state to air their resentment against the failure of the governments to resolve the pending issues of growers.

The major demands of the growers include proper implementation of the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) Act of 2005 along with the Legal Metrology Act of 2009 and the Passenger and Goods Tax Act of 1955 to bring about uniformity in the apple trade and check the exploitation of growers. Another major demand pertains to introduction of universal cartons allowing packing of only 20 kg of apples.

Meanwhile, on June 24 various farmer organisations in Bihar came together on the issues of ‘MSP, Food Security and Debt Relief’ at Ravindra Bhawan in Patna.

Farmer leader Nand Kishore Singh presented a 24-point farmer's charter that included legal guarantee of MSP, complete debt waiver, food security guarantee, pension for farmers and farm labourers along with universal, comprehensive and effective compensation for crop losses.

The other issues included restoration of APMC market in Bihar, restarting of all closed sugar mills, benefits of government schemes for tenant farmers, withdrawal of Forest (Conservation) Amendment Bill 2023, Rs 10 per litre government subsidy to milk producers along with permanent solution to the problem of flood, drought and water-logging.

Farmer leader Vinod Kumar said that between July 1 and August 15, nationwide district-level conferences will be organised to unite the farmers and agricultural labourers. August 9 will be observed as ‘Corporate Boycott Day’ to mark 80 years of Quit India Movement and August Kranti Diwas.

Similarly August 15 will be marked as ‘Save Freedom Day’ against the onslaught on the constitution, federalism and secularism. This will be followed by Kisan Yatras from August 16 to September 30 where apart from raising farmer issues, the pro corporate stance of the centre will be challenged.

In Bihar, a three-day Mahadharna will be organised in Patna from November 26 to 28. Just a fortnight back Haryana had witnessed farmers resorting to a traffic blockade on Delhi-Chandigarh highway on the issue of proper remuneration for sunflower.

Prior to this, on May 30 thousands of peasants led by All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) descended over the District Collectorate in Palghar in Maharashtra. This was the fourth large mobilisation of people from Thane-Palghar district in a span of three months.

Before this Palghar demonstration, there had been long marches from Dindori to Vasind in March and Akole to Loni in April 2023 along with a massive women’s rally at Palghar Collectorate on May 24.

According to AIKS president Ashok Dhawale, “On May 30, the AIKS submitted thousands of forms for land rights over forest land, absentee landlords' (varkas) land, temple trust land, ‘inaami’ land, pasture land etc that had been filled by the peasants over a month. All of these were submitted to the Collector and receipts taken.”

He disclosed that the District Collector Govind Bodke and other concerned officials conceded several demands concerning land rights, water and irrigation, Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA), ration and other issues and assured their implementation in a time frame.

Then on May 26, thousands of rubber farmers from all over Kerala led by the Kerala Karshaka Sangham had marched from Asan Square near Kerala University to the Raj Bhawan at Thiruvananthapuram. They expressed their anger over the ‘pro-corporate policies’ of the central government that have led to the plight of rubber and other farmers.

They also attacked the Congress whose leaders in Kerala supported the Free Trade Agreement with the ASEAN countries that was concluded by the Congress central government in 2009 and which led to disastrous results for rubber farmers and other cash crop farmers in the state.

The main demands aired included withdrawal of the new ‘pro-corporate and anti-farmer’ Rubber Bill introduced in Parliament, treating rubber as an agricultural crop, a price of at least Rs 300 per kg for rubber, stopping duty free imports, withdrawal from Free Trade Agreements, subsidies for rubber cultivation, strict steps against cartels of big tyre manufacturers who are manipulating government decisions and working against farmers.

On the same day the Kirti Kisan Union in Punjab had organised a massive rally at Moga where the state government under Bhagwant Mann was warned against playing with the people's emotions on the issue of water. There was a call given for canal water to every farm and clean drinking water to every household.

The participants demanded implement a non-toxic, nature and farmer friendly, profitable and sustainable farming model instead of the present model that resulted from the Green Revolution.

Sources say that farm issues will also play a role in the forthcoming assembly polls in various states including Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Telangana. These polls will be a prelude to the Lok Sabha battle of 2024.