Anger and distress in farmers goes beyond MSP, finds annual book State of India’s Environment In Figures, 2024
As India prepares for the formation of a new central government, the agricultural sector remains a point of contention. Since 2023, there have been close to 200 major farmer protests across 22 states, highlighting deep-seated issues that go beyond the demand for a legal guarantee of Minimum Support Price (MSP).
While the MSP, a government-determined price to ensure farmers don’t suffer losses, has been a rallying cry, the State of India’s Environment In Figures, 2024 (SOE 2024) report sheds light on broader challenges. The annual publication by Delhi-based think tank Centre for Science and Environment and Down To Earth unveiled the challenges that are likely to shape the development agenda for the next five years.
Read more: Is legal assurance of MSP for farmers viable? What are its implications?
In 2022, the farming sector experienced a concerning increase in suicides, with a total of 11,290. This was the highest recorded figure since 2017, indicating a worrying trend in the farming community, which had been promised a doubling of income by 2022.
According to SOE 2024, at least 195 significant farmer demonstrations were recorded across 22 states and Union territories between January 2023 and March 2024, indicating that farmers’ concerns were ignored and their anger persisted.
Around 59 per cent of these protests were concentrated in seven states: Karnataka (26 protests), Punjab (18), Tamil Nadu (17), Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Telangana (14 each), along with Uttar Pradesh (12).
Reasons for farmers’ protests
The latest edition of the annual book revealed the majority of these protests were over land acquisition issues, followed by demands for a MSP for crops. Additionally, farmers opposed various farm policies and legislations, such as export bans on certain crops.
At least 47 protests were held over issues such as forced evictions and unfair compensation for land repurposed for development projects, while 35 protests focused on MSP for crops, with some farmers protesting the government’s failure to procure crops at MSP prices. In addition, 34 protests targeted state legislation, unfulfilled government promises and export bans on specific crops.
Delays in payment for the crops or crashes in crop prices triggered 22 protests, particularly affecting crops like sugarcane, onions, and tomatoes. Farmers also advocated for better agricultural infrastructure, with 17 protests demanding improvements such as increased storage capacity, enhanced irrigation facilities and reliable electricity supply.
For instance, in October 2023, farmers in Tamil Nadu protested against crop damage due to inadequate water supply. Similarly, in March 2023, farmers in Odisha protested to demand free electricity.
Read more: Farmers reject Centre’s new MSP proposal; demand guarantee for all 23 crops
Concerns about inadequate crop insurance coverage and relief for natural disasters spurred 13 protests, while various other issues, including opposition to field trials of cotton and maize varieties, led to protests in 12 instances. Inter-state water sharing disputes prompted 11 protests and demands for farm-loan waivers and protests against bank harassment resulted in 4 demonstrations.
Throughout this period, unrest persisted consistently, with protests occurring every month in the country. At least 19 crops were focal points for many demonstrations, including fruits and vegetables such as apples, tomatoes, and potatoes, which occupy 92.5 per cent of the total cold-storage space available in the country. These incidents highlight the diverse agricultural challenges faced by farmers nationwide.
Dissent in West Bengal
West Bengal has consistently been listed as a state with ‘zero farmers’ suicides’ and ‘zero agrarian riots’ for at least five years (2018-2022), according to estimates released by the National Crime Records Bureau in the annual reports Accidental Deaths & Suicides in India and Crime in India, respectively.
However, a closer analysis of protests at the state level by the CSE-DTE annual book finds that farmers in West Bengal are distressed and were out on the streets last year. After the prices for potato produce dropped to Rs 5 per kilogramme in some districts, they demanded fair prices. In addition, they called for quick action to expand cold storage spaces for the preservation of potatoes.
Farmers in Dhupguri, in the Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal, one of the top producers of ladyfinger or okra in the nation, protested in June 2023 because there wasn’t much market demand for the vegetable.
When extreme weather events between 2023 and March 2024 damaged over 2.31 million hectares of crop area, the country witnessed protests by farmers over poor crop insurance coverage and inadequate relief for natural disasters too.
Read more: Centre hikes sugarcane fair and remunerative price amid farmers’ protest
Farm insurance coverage has declined since its launch in 2016-17, particularly in 15 states / UTs, the book further found.
Farmers will need all the help they can get in these times of variable weather, CSE Director General Sunita Narain wrote in the foreword for the book. “When the flagship crop insurance scheme of the government to provide that crucial support is flagging; it needs a reboot. It needs a rethink, also so that it can take into account the local impact of crop losses because of unseasonal weather,” she wrote.
To get your copy of the State of India’s Environment In Figures, 2024, click here.
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