Friday, July 07, 2023

MSP or Canada.

"Earlier this month, the government announced the minimum support prices (MSP) for 23 crops for the forthcoming kharif season . The MSP is an advisory price and is expected to serve as the floor." Mint. The list of MSP for Kharif crops has been published. Presumably the prices for Rabi crops will be published later. farmer.gov.in. 'Kharif' is Arabic for 'autumn' and is planted in summer just before the monsoon starts, while 'Rabi' is Arabic for 'spring' and is planted around November. Vedantu. "This year, the government hiked MSP rates by 5-10% over the last year." "In 2018-19, the average farm household earned Rs 10,218 per month ( at current rates)", "That was just short of the national per capita income for that year, which was Rs 10,495 per month." In 2020, the government passed three farm bills which sought to encourage farmers to "engage with agri-business firms, processors, wholesalers, exporters or large retailers for farm services and sale of future farming produce at a mutually agreed remunerative price framework in a fair and transparent manner". pib.gov.in. Farmers saw the bills as a step towards abolishing MSP and feared that they would be at the mercy of rapacious big business. Farmers from Punjab and Haryana went on strike at the borders of Delhi. The government tried to portray the protest as inspired by Khalistanis but that failed. Eventually the three acts were repealed in November 2021. wikipedia. In December 2021, "The Samukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) sent a list of 702 farmers who are said to have 'died' during protest against three contentious farm laws, to the government." DH. There were about 145 million farmer families in India in 2020, out of which 4.333 million sold wheat at MSP in the Rabi season and 12.4 million sold rice paddy at MSP in the Kharif season. DNA. Of these, 42% of farmers during Rabi season and 25% during the Kharif season were from Punjab and Haryana. Farmers had every reason to protest against the farm bills. "In Bihar, which abolished state regulated mandis (wholesale markets) back in 2006," "Farmers cannot bargain. The produce is neither graded nor auctioned as is the practice in well-functioning markets in other states," wrote Sayantan Bera. Farmers from Bihar travel to Punjab to work as farm laborers. However, "The simple fact is that a vast majority of rural households  are not able to make a living from farming, and are unlikely to be able to do so in the future." But, people in Punjab are not happy either and "emigration has been the aspiration of people for more than a century." The Wire. "In Talhan, Jalandhar, the famous Gudwara Shaheedan Baba Nihal Singh ji" "is perceived by thousands of people as one that will grant the wish to emigrate, so worshippers routinely bring toy aeroplanes or replicas of aeroplane with them and ask for them to be blessed." If Punjab is so badly off, how bad is Bihar? No wonder Punjabi farmers fought for MSP. 

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