The Crossbill News Desk
Fresh concerns over the deepening agrarian crisis have resurfaced after farmers’ organisations challenged the Union government’s claims regarding improvements in rural incomes and agricultural stability.
The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) cited alarming suicide data while questioning official assertions made at the national level.
Over five lakh farmers and agricultural labourers have died by suicide in the last 12 years, the SKM stated, rejecting the Union government’s claims of having doubled agrarian incomes.
According to a report by The Tribune, the farmers’ collective criticised Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Chouhan’s statement in Parliament that farmers’ incomes had doubled under the Narendra Modi administration.
The SKM stated that the government’s assurance regarding the Minimum Support Price (MSP) remains largely unimplemented, with less than 15% of crops currently being procured at the assured rates.
"MSP exists only on paper, with less than 15 per cent of crops being procured at MSP currently. How can the Agriculture Minister claim that farmers' incomes have doubled when 31 farmers are committing suicides in the country daily due to debt under the Narendra Modi regime. More than five lakh farmers, agricultural workers and migrant labourers have ended their lives in the last 12 years," SKM said.
Speaking to the publication, All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) leader P. Krishna Prasad stated that farmers are routinely forced to sell their produce below the MSP.
Prasad reiterated the demand for the Swaminathan Committee’s C2 formula, which recommends setting the MSP 50% higher than the comprehensive cost of production.
He noted that the C2 formula includes the imputed rental value of owned land and interest on fixed capital, which are excluded from the government’s current A2+FL (paid-out costs plus family labour) calculation method.
AIKS general secretary Vijoo Krishnan attributed the ongoing agrarian distress to the policies of the Union government.
“Agrarian distress is haunting our farmers thanks to the policies of the Modi government. The recent example is the suicide of two brothers in Punjab’s Faridkot due to mounting debt. They were dealing with a severe financial crisis along with pending loans from arhtiyas (commission agents) and banks. And then our agriculture minister says everything is fine and farmers have doubled their income,” Krishnan told The Tribune.
Furthermore, Krishnan alleged that the Union government’s foreign policy amidst the West Asia conflict has exacerbated the agricultural situation, noting that more than half of India’s crude oil is sourced from the Gulf region.
The farmers’ organisations warned that unless structural reforms addressing pricing, debt relief, and procurement guarantees are implemented, rural distress is likely to intensify despite official claims of agricultural growth.
The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) cited alarming suicide data while questioning official assertions made at the national level.
Over five lakh farmers and agricultural labourers have died by suicide in the last 12 years, the SKM stated, rejecting the Union government’s claims of having doubled agrarian incomes.
According to a report by The Tribune, the farmers’ collective criticised Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Chouhan’s statement in Parliament that farmers’ incomes had doubled under the Narendra Modi administration.
The SKM stated that the government’s assurance regarding the Minimum Support Price (MSP) remains largely unimplemented, with less than 15% of crops currently being procured at the assured rates.
"MSP exists only on paper, with less than 15 per cent of crops being procured at MSP currently. How can the Agriculture Minister claim that farmers' incomes have doubled when 31 farmers are committing suicides in the country daily due to debt under the Narendra Modi regime. More than five lakh farmers, agricultural workers and migrant labourers have ended their lives in the last 12 years," SKM said.
Speaking to the publication, All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) leader P. Krishna Prasad stated that farmers are routinely forced to sell their produce below the MSP.
Prasad reiterated the demand for the Swaminathan Committee’s C2 formula, which recommends setting the MSP 50% higher than the comprehensive cost of production.
He noted that the C2 formula includes the imputed rental value of owned land and interest on fixed capital, which are excluded from the government’s current A2+FL (paid-out costs plus family labour) calculation method.
AIKS general secretary Vijoo Krishnan attributed the ongoing agrarian distress to the policies of the Union government.
“Agrarian distress is haunting our farmers thanks to the policies of the Modi government. The recent example is the suicide of two brothers in Punjab’s Faridkot due to mounting debt. They were dealing with a severe financial crisis along with pending loans from arhtiyas (commission agents) and banks. And then our agriculture minister says everything is fine and farmers have doubled their income,” Krishnan told The Tribune.
Furthermore, Krishnan alleged that the Union government’s foreign policy amidst the West Asia conflict has exacerbated the agricultural situation, noting that more than half of India’s crude oil is sourced from the Gulf region.
The farmers’ organisations warned that unless structural reforms addressing pricing, debt relief, and procurement guarantees are implemented, rural distress is likely to intensify despite official claims of agricultural growth.
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