Vidarbha and Marathwada are two backward regions of Maharashtra. Cotton, soyabean, and tur are the main crops here. These two regions have seen the largest number of farmers’ suicides in the state due to indebtedness. Guaranteed procurement of their crops at the announced Minimum Support Price (MSP) is a necessity for them to come out of their debt crisis.
The Maharashtra unit of the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) organised two farmers’ conventions to focus on burning issues of peasants in Vidarbha and Marathwada and the necessity of MSP. The first convention on Right to MSP was organised on 7th March 2024 at Majalgaon in Beed district of Marathwada and attended by over 1000 farmers. The second Right to MSP convention took place on 7th April 2024 at Wardha. It was attended by over 800 farmers from Wardha, Yavatmal, Amravati, Buldana, Nagpur, and Gadchiroli districts of the Vidarbha region.
All the speakers at Wardha convention raised the vital issue of MSP, along with important related issues of peasants like loan waiver, crop insurance, electricity, pension, and others. Referring to the massive recent struggles on these and other issues led by the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) in the country, and by the AIKS in the state, they called for continuing sustained struggles on these peasant demands.