Is a legally guaranteed Minimum Support Price (MSP) to the farmers an idea whose time has come? Today is the 43rd day of the indefinite fast on this issue by farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal. In the midst of this fast, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Food Processing (with a majority of MPs from the ruling NDA) has made an unprecedented recommendation of “legally binding” MSP. The Samyukt Kisan Morcha, the largest platform of farmers’ organisations, is likely to announce a major action plan with the same demand as the farmers protesting at Khanauri.

However, the Union government seems to be in no mood to consider this demand. Notwithstanding the PM’s repeated assertion — “MSP hai aur rahega” — the government has not even initiated a dialogue with the protesting farmers. The PM’s “New Year gift” to the farmers — a stale declaration about continuing crop insurance and subsidy on fertilisers — bypasses the MSP. On the contrary, the government’s recently released draft “National Framework for Agricultural Marketing” for the next 10 years does not even mention the MSP, let alone consider legally binding MSP.

In the midst of this deadlock, the farmers continue to suffer. Take Merta, an important major agricultural market in Rajasthan where moong (green gram) is a major kharif crop. The officially declared MSP for moong is Rs 8,682 per quintal. However, during December 2024, the average price was only Rs 6,467. The farmers had to sell at a loss of Rs 2,215 per quintal, below the official MSP. Thus, the total income lost by farmers in this one market for this one crop in one month was over Rs 10 crore. In the market at Jalana,

© Indian Express