What was the first farmers’ protest about?
Before we get started on what the first protest was about, let’s understand the basics! The law says that farmers have three ways to sell their produce:
1. Mandis: The price of the farmers’ produce is decided here.
2. Middlemen: These people have been allowed to buy produce from farmers. After buying the produce from farmers, they sell it to different companies.
3. Government: Sometimes, the government may buy the farmers’ produce at a minimum support price (MSP). MSP is not for the farmers to make a profit but to avoid losses.
Understood. What changed?
In 2020, the government allowed farmers to sell their produce to companies without middlemen. Farmers feared that the government would soon shut down mandis as well. If mandis don’t tell them the price of their produce, they would not be able to negotiate the price with companies. The farmers feared what would happen if companies offered them less money and the government wouldn’t want to buy their produce at MSP. Ultimately, they would be forced to sell their produce to companies at very low cost. The farmers didn’t want that to happen. So they started protesting against the new rules. The protest ended with the government taking back the changes it made. Farmers were also promised that the government will form a committee to decide the law on MSPs (MSP Committee).
What are the farmers protesting about now?
Recently, farmers from many states have come to Delhi to protest against many issues. One such issue is unemployment in the country. Another major issue is the guarantee of MSP to farmers. The MSP Committee said that they are only working to make MSP “effective and transparent” and not a law.
What is the government's response to the farmers this time?
The Delhi police has increased security due to the protests and have detained some farmers. The MSP Committee met with members of various farmer groups, It also created four sub-groups to look into the farmers’ issues.
Let's hope that the farmers and the government can find a peaceful and calm solution to every problem.
