There is something wrong happening with the state of agriculture in India. Climate change is surely making the process of agriculture tougher to sustain. Farmers are also slowly adapting to this change. And finally, the government needs to recognise these changes and bring about amendments.
After a gap of about 3 years, the farmers are back for the ‘Delhi Chalo’ march. This story is about people who literally feed the country and are voicing their hardships in a climate-risked world! The protest began on Tuesday, February 13, 2024.
Our team from Down To Earth was on ground with these farmers from the outskirts of Fatehgarh Sahib in Punjab to 40 kms away till the Shambhu border. But, this is not the first time that our farmers are protesting against the central government. About 3 years ago, similar protests took place at the national capital and India saw one of the worst farmer protests.

But what are their demands?

The core issue here is MSP, or minimum support price. Imagine, a farmer incurs a certain cost to produce a crop. Now, after cultivation, the farmer will only earn a profit if the selling price is higher than the cost price of that crop. Here comes MSP, which ensures a farmer with a guaranteed minimum selling price, so that the farmer does not incur any losses.

In simpler words, the Minimum Support Price works as a shield to the farmers’ crop production against the fluctuating market rates, offering stability and income security.

Currently, the Centre is announcing the MSPs for 23 crops. They consist of seven grains, five pulses, seven oilseeds, and four commercial crops. While the MSPs formally guarantee a minimum of 50% return on all cultivation expenditures, this is mostly on paper.

And because MSPs lack legislative authority, farmers cannot demand these as a matter of right. So, these farmers’ unions want the central government to pass legislation which will ensure fair MSP is given to the farmers.

The assured prices will also encourage farmers to adopt crop diversification which will save groundwater and reduce stubble burning.

This issue is not limited to India. Farmers from across the globe are also protesting against their respective governments.

We have recently reported that at least 65 countries, from South America to Australia; from Europe to India; all have protested since January 2023, demanding better support prices and policies.

Today, the farmers cannot make their living by agriculture alone.

Instead, they are at the receiving end of overall economic cycle of India, and they have to bear the brunt of unfair mandi procurement practices and MSP rates; wildfire, floods and droughts due to Climate Change; higher production costs due to market fluctuations; private player exploitation; limited subsidies from the government and many more.

The concern remains that will the government accept these demands or again the farmers will be given false assurances, yet again?
#farmersprotest #msp #shambhu

0:00 Reaching Shambhu Border
0:35 Introduction
1:54 Farmers Protest and its reasons
3:26 Demands & What is MSP?
5:07 What is happening across globe?
6:00 Possible outcomes