The Crossbill News Desk
On Saturday, members of the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee held a protest in Amritsar by dumping their Basmati crops on the streets and near the Deputy Commissioner's office.
The farmer activists accused private companies of exploiting Basmati farmers by offering significantly lower prices compared to last year. In a symbolic act of defiance against the unfair pricing, they discarded their crops and raised slogans, criticizing the government's inaction, The Indian Express reported.
“We are dumping Basmati because we are not receiving the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for our crops,” said Sarwan Singh Pandher, a state leader of the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee Punjab. He stressed the need for a law ensuring MSP for all crops, citing the exploitation of Basmati varieties 1509 and 1692 this season.
Pandher, along with district leader Mangjeet Singh Sidhwan, condemned private companies for misleading farmers by portraying the agricultural market economy as beneficial.
“The current attempt to mislead farmers by promoting the connection between agriculture and market economy as beneficial has been exposed. Private players are purchasing Basmati at half its price, leaving farmers at a massive loss. Currently, the price of Basmati ranges between Rs 2,000 and Rs 2,400, compared to last year’s price of Rs 3,500 to Rs 4,000. This has resulted in a direct loss of Rs 25,000 to Rs 30,000 per acre for each farmer. While producers are forced to sell at low prices, consumers will still be paying high prices for Basmati rice in the market,” the newspaper quoted Pandher as saying.
He further added that, “The Punjab government had earlier assured that if the price of Basmati dropped below Rs 3,200, it would compensate for the difference. However, the government has remained silent in the current situation. The central government should stop exploiting the people of Punjab, especially when Basmati is fetching full prices in the international market. Why is Punjab’s Basmati being unfairly targeted? The Punjab government must immediately intervene and provide the promised support to farmers.”
The farmer activists accused private companies of exploiting Basmati farmers by offering significantly lower prices compared to last year. In a symbolic act of defiance against the unfair pricing, they discarded their crops and raised slogans, criticizing the government's inaction, The Indian Express reported.
“We are dumping Basmati because we are not receiving the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for our crops,” said Sarwan Singh Pandher, a state leader of the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee Punjab. He stressed the need for a law ensuring MSP for all crops, citing the exploitation of Basmati varieties 1509 and 1692 this season.
Pandher, along with district leader Mangjeet Singh Sidhwan, condemned private companies for misleading farmers by portraying the agricultural market economy as beneficial.
“The current attempt to mislead farmers by promoting the connection between agriculture and market economy as beneficial has been exposed. Private players are purchasing Basmati at half its price, leaving farmers at a massive loss. Currently, the price of Basmati ranges between Rs 2,000 and Rs 2,400, compared to last year’s price of Rs 3,500 to Rs 4,000. This has resulted in a direct loss of Rs 25,000 to Rs 30,000 per acre for each farmer. While producers are forced to sell at low prices, consumers will still be paying high prices for Basmati rice in the market,” the newspaper quoted Pandher as saying.
He further added that, “The Punjab government had earlier assured that if the price of Basmati dropped below Rs 3,200, it would compensate for the difference. However, the government has remained silent in the current situation. The central government should stop exploiting the people of Punjab, especially when Basmati is fetching full prices in the international market. Why is Punjab’s Basmati being unfairly targeted? The Punjab government must immediately intervene and provide the promised support to farmers.”
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