Farmers Rally and Nationwide Strike for Assertion and Settlement of their Long Pending Demands.

 We may know that more than 130 Agriculturist Associations in the Country have been coordinating their struggle, 'Village Strikes', since June 1 pressing the Government at the State and Centre to concede to their just livelihood demands.As a mark of protest, farm produces like Vegetables, Food Grains and milk were dumped on the National Highways  to draw the attention of the Governments for settlement.In order to intensify their movement they have declared "Bharat Bandh" on 10th June and sought Solidarity support from the people.

 Their demands include,

 *Enhancement of Minimum Support Price for farm produce.
*Increase in Procurement Price for milk.
*Waiver of farm loans.

 The above demands are not new.They have been demanding for a permanent solution and struggling for too many decades.In fact then Governments at the States and Centre had some time implemented loan waiver schemes as ad-hoc measure, without addressing major problems and resolving basic issues.One such is the need to periodically revise and enhance minimum support price for farm produce.

 Farmers demands have not been met and resolved by the Centre fully and it attempted  only on peripheral issues. The Government is not interested in acting on the formulation made by the National Commission on Farmers in 2007, which placed special stress on enhancing the income of farmers.A formula was suggested for determining the minimum support price for farm produce.The Commission's Report is over 10 years old, no action has been taken on its implementation particularly with reference to the economics of farming.

 Heretofore, farmers in Tamilnadu, Punjab, Haryana, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh staged strong protests.They suffered police attacks and some were shot dead in Madhya Pradesh brutally.They took a mammoth rally for 200kms. and presented their demands to the Chief Minister of Maharashtra some months back.The BJP promised in their Election Manifesto to double farmers income if they are voted to power.Not even one part of farmers income increased!

 Excepting vegetables, the price of other agricultural produce increased to 0.55% only during the first four months period in 2018.while comparing this trend with the price for the first four months during 2014 to 2016, i.e., 2%, the present increase is just a quarter.Food Products and Vegetables produced by the farmers are not fully procured and lay stagnated.This year monsoon forecast and agriculture production are expected to be better.with the inherent problems of storage and  fair minimum support price, farmers will go in for distress sale that would deteriorate their economic conditions further.

 The Governments at the States and Centre are always on their feet to blame struggles and protests of farmers, who form the basic edifice of a Society, and try to paint different pictures discrediting their just and reasonable demands.

 Will the Government open its eyes? or seek advice from the Corporates? 

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