It has been a long time since the farmers’ movement.  Both sides are adamant.  The opposition’s chess is laid.  People are suffering from the pandemic.  The government is also tired of having to explain it.  In the face of the country’s crisis, it certainly cannot be a priority to deal with any movement.  Farmers should also understand the fragility of time.  There is a problem, but no more than a national crisis.  After a few days, the problem could still be considered.  There is no justification for calling for any protest at a crucial time.  Still, the question is, how long will the anti-national forces be given a chance to carry out their actions without facing any problems?  In the country’s interest, both sides will have to sit down and talk.  The biggest problem, even war, can be solved only through dialogue.  First of all, the problems have to be properly assessed.

First of all, we have to consider the progress India has made in various fields since its independence.  Government employees’ salaries were increased hundreds of times due to inflation.  The merchant’s income also increased by the same proportion.  Even at the international level, the price of gold has increased thousands of times, but our farmers’ incomes have not increased proportionately.  Despite being the backbone of the country, previous governments did not take sufficient measures to increase farmers’ incomes.  Now, the need of the hour is to make the farmers happy if the country is to be happy.  After all, that too is a business, that too takes the hardest effort.  That is why the government has to discuss the problems with an open mind with this ideology.

 Now, let us discuss some of the main points.  It is a fact that the government lacks sufficient storage capacity, leading to the wastage of lakhs of tonnes of food items.  It is also relevant that the government can make limited purchases within its capacity and resources.  Now, where will the remaining grain be stored?  Farmers do not have storage facilities.  Now, the traders’ warehouses remain.  But due to the government’s old policy, there is pressure on them not to store beyond the limit.  As a result, the business of theft flourishes.  Therefore, the entry of business houses to increase storage capacity can be justified in the country’s interest.  But in doing so, the government was mistaken in its foresight.  With unlimited storage and free pricing, there is a risk of profiteering that could create an artificial crisis in the country.  That is why the government should fix the withdrawal from the warehouses and its maximum price as well.  The trader should ensure that he withdraws at least 10 per cent of the storage every month, with a prefixed profit on his cost price, so that the goods can be made available to consumers at a fixed price.  Along with this, like cold stores, farmers should also have storage facilities for their crops so they can also benefit from the higher prices like traders.

Now let’s talk about contract farming.  This trend has increased in the past few years.  In fact, contract farming has been practised for a long time.  First by a moneylender and later on a contract or a share.  The only difference is that earlier, it was all verbal, with no guarantee of profit.  It was not even possible for the people with lesser

Land holding and doing jobs to do farming on their own.  Under the new law, farmers will have the opportunity to farm under certain conditions, as well as a guarantee to sell their crops at a fixed rate.  The buyer will help the farmer from time to time. But the government should ensure a transparent and effective justice process to duly validate and implement such agreements, so that no fraud occurs against innocent farmers.  The farmers should have no doubt or opposition to this.

If we consider the main point of the movement, then it is certain that the government can buy on MSP only up to its capabilities.  The storage limit has been removed to prevent the grain from being destroyed.  MSP-based purchases can continue, but only up to a certain limit, such as sugarcane. Here govt can do one thing. It can declare its purchase on MSP, subject to the predeclared per-acre crop quantity for the sown area, for farmers with less than 5 acres of land. This segment of farmers really needs the government’s support.

Now, the only solution for the remaining grain is that it may be purchased by mandi traders or any other agency in the open market, provided it is not sold below the minimum price, to support farmers, at a maximum price after loading 20% on the MSP and stored by them. The government can also introduce legislation to prevent large price fluctuations throughout the year in the market.  At the same time, the market’s availability will also remain with continuous withdrawal at a fixed price.  Along with this, the price of bulk crop purchases should be made payable by bank transfer so that the connivance of traders with government agencies can be checked.

The farmers should come out of the mandis and welcome the government’s right to free sale.  The crop belongs to the farmer to sell it wherever he wants. Any restriction on it amounts to curtailing the farmers’ autonomy.  The so-called market traders have a free hand to buy from the open market as per their capacity.  After all, how can there be a compulsion for paying commission by the farmer?

Now, if we talk about the discounts given to farmers, then in such a situation when they are getting the MSP of the crop with cost-based and profit, there is no negative effect from subsidies and other rebates, such as seed, fertiliser, and electricity at lower prices.  Still, the government will continue to give maximum incentives for agriculture.

But the most important reason for the farmers’ miserable condition is their lack of economic discipline.  Farmers do not spend in line with their income, so they generally misuse the loans they take.  The government should make efforts to create awareness in this.  Farmers should choose a bank that offers solutions to all their financial problems.  Only that bank should give a loan, and the sale price of the crop should also be transferred to the same bank.  This will increase financial discipline among the farmers.  Farmers will not go bankrupt. Multilevel loaning should be stopped immediately, and annual transfers of loans should be permitted only in exceptional cases, with the written approval of the Regional Manager of the concerned bank and the reasons provided. In the future, these TRANSACTIONS will help determine their future policy.

Farmer brothers are also requested to do whatever it takes to ensure that national unity is not harmed.  Do not give entry to any party or organisation conspiring against the country.  The government is concerned about farmers today and will remain so tomorrow as well.  The government is our protector.  We can negotiate to get our rights.  You can clarify your point.  Stubbornness is not justified in any way.  Do not decide the result before the discussion.  Talk without prejudice on all aspects and end the movement by drawing conclusions in the country’s interest.  There are more problems in front of the country, which is also related to all of us.  Let’s all solve them together.

Black day and black flag are for the enemy; it would be appropriate to discard them forever, and every event must be organised by hoisting your flag as your national unchangeable identity.

Some more suggestions:

1 Promote dense forestry-style horticulture.

2 Promote crop-based clusters.

3 Promote small own warehousing or cooperative warehousing, minimum within 10kms.

4 Promote credit from warehouses/banks against stored and pledged crops.

5 Check and reduce misutilisation of credits in non-productive assets.

6 Instead of Samman Nidhi, the farmers should be provided subsidised electricity, agricultural implements, seeds, fertilisers, etc. However, farmers growing crops above the national average or introducing exemplary agricultural practices should be rewarded by the government.

7 Farmers should be educated and promoted for the direct export of agricultural products on a cooperative pattern.