Protesters seek implementation of the Swaminathan Commission report; Centre says formula for MSP is economically unviable
As the thousands of protesting farmers affiliated to the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Tikait group) were prevented from entering Delhi in support of their demands, Minister of State for Agriculture Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Tuesday said the Centre would consider reducing GST on farm equipment to 5%. The farmers have demanded that farm equipment be exempt.
Among the protesters were sugarcane farmers from Bhora Kalan village in Muzaffarnagar who complained of rising debt, increasing cost of pesticides and other expenses and demanded that the recommendations of the M.S. Swaminathan Commission be accepted.
“Even when we are given insurance schemes, the companies make sure we don’t get our due. They have ground farmers into powder just like you grind spices,” said Chowdhry Dhan Singh from Bhora Kalan.
Among the protesters is Jasmeet Singh from Punjab, with a noose around his neck. “This is to represent that one farmer dies every three days with the kind of conditions we have today,” he said.
While the Centre is prepared to cede ground on some of the demands, it is refusing to budge with regard to higher minimum support prices (MSP) and wants further discussion on issues such as loan waivers, Mr. Shekhawat told The Hindu. The C2+FL formula is economically unviable, he said.
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