Legally guaranteed minimum support price (MSP) for all agricultural products is one of the principal demands for which kisan unions have been agitating for the past several years. They have been agitating in various ways, including an indefinite fast by one of their leaders, Jagjit Singh Dallewal, at the Khanauri border between Punjab and Haryana. While he has been on fast for almost 50 days, the Central Government has refused to respond. It is refusing to even invite the kisan union leaders for talks.
The Supreme Court has been issuing orders to the Government of Punjab to shift the fasting kisan leader to a hospital. The agitating kisans have unequivocally stated that they will not give up their agitation until the central government concedes their demand for legally guaranteed MSP. They have stated that they are willing to accept medical aid for their leader who is on fast only if the central government extends an invitation to the kisans for talks, towards addressing their demands.
The Samyukta Kisan Morcha, an umbrella organisation of hundreds of kisan unions, is reported to have stated that they do not accept the intervention of the Supreme Court because their demand is for a policy change (Hindustan Times, 2 Jan 2025). It is the Central Government, not any court, which is responsible for addressing the policy issue.
The central Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare is not only refusing to invite the kisan union leaders for talks. Adding insult to injury, it has published a draft “National Policy Framework on Agricultural Marketing”, a 35 page document which makes no mention of MSP at all. The draft policy framework contains all the proposed measures to promote the role of private companies in agricultural marketing, which were part of the three anti-kisan farm laws that were repealed in December 2021.
It must be noted that in September 2024, the Supreme Court had appointed a committee to look into the issues raised by the kisans. That committee had recommended: “They (kisans) deserve the benefits of MSP and debt waiver as farmers in Punjab have institutional debt of over Rs 73,000 crore and in Haryana, it is over Rs 76,000 crore. Punjab has witnessed thousands of suicides due to debt”.
It is also to be noted that the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Food Processing submitted a report in December 2024 which recommended the implementation of legally binding MSPs to ensure financial stability for kisans. It emphasized that “MSP aligns with national food security objectives by stabilising foodgrain production and supporting public distribution systems.”
The demand of kisans for a legally guaranteed MSP is an entirely just demand. The government is refusing to fulfil this demand only because it is against the plans of the monopoly capitalists to dominate agricultural trade and reap maximum profits at the expense of both the producers and consumers of farm produce.