FARMERS FROM NARMADA-KISANI BACHAO JUNG FIGHT FOR APPROPRIATE MSP FOR FIVE CROPS

WE DEMAND MSP FOR-

WHEAT 3,000 ;  

SOYA BEAN 10,000  ; 

COTTON 9,000  ; 

MAIZE 3,000  ;  

RED GRAM (DESI CHANA) 10,000 Rs per Quintal

Press release: Badwani, 8 June 2018: It is heartening that the farmers across the country are fighting battles over freedom from debt as well as appropriate prices for the farm produce. The issue of executing the recommendation by the M.S. Swaminathan Commission that the price of any farm produce should be 1.5 times the cost incurred, is already in the air and the upcoming Assembly (2018) and Parliamentary (2019) elections have compelled the political parties to take cognizance of the same.

The farmers’ struggles and alliances have invariably approved the above recommendation on fair prices. Yet, while MSP is common all over(with exceptions), the expenditure on production differs from place to place. The demands raised over prices of locally available productwhich comes to the market in large quantity, have been varied and are mostly decided by the agitations in a given phase and at a given time. This needs to be changed.

It is necessary that farmers’ movements raise specific demand for MSP for every single agricultural crop including vegetables, fruits, grains, pulses, etc, i.e. those for which MSP may have been already declared or not. If not only every movement but every farmer, has a figure on his/her lips and fingertips it would make a huge difference. We, from the Narmada valley, carried out the ‘Narmada Bachao Kisani Bachao Jung’. It completed its Narmada to Bhopal March (29th May to 4th June) with the Jan Adalat where Retd. Justice Gopala Gowda (Supreme Court) and Retd. Justice Abhay Thipsay (Allahabad High Court, Mumbai High Court) presided as judges. The Peoples Court was held on 4thJune 2018 from 1 pm – 5:30 pm at Neelam Park in Bhopal.

One of the submissions we presented was on the MSP computed with the formula of C2+FL+50 by a group of farmers belonging to marginal,small and large landholders’ categories. They worked out minute details of the cost on every single item/task that goes into the production of 5 crops selected as those common in the districts of Badwani, Dhar, and Khargone in the Western Nimad region of Madhya Pradesh. The imputed costs for land and labour as well as some managerial inputs by the farmers family are also included in the costing done by the farmers’ group. The tabulated data on the same is given below.

The farmers of the Narmada Valley appeal to all across the country to uphold and support these prices for these crops. We will soon come out with similar calculations and demands for other.

WE DEMAND 3000 Rs/Qtl. AS PRICE FOR WHEAT, 10000 Rs/Qtl. AS PRICE FOR SOYA BEAN, 9000 Rs/Qtl. AS PRICE FOR COTTON, 3000 Rs/ Qtl. AS PRICE FOR MAIZE AND 10000 Rs/Qtl. AS PRICE FOR RED GRAM (DESI CHANA.)

We will not accept any rejection of certain part of produce on ad hoc basis of quality, as is done today in almost every mandi in Madhya Pradesh and elsewhere. This is because all the costs are average costs, and hence the price also needs to be taken as drawn out of the averages used in the computation. This is bound to take care of somewhat differing quality, so it need not lead to rejection of any part and parcel of the saleable product.

We are aware of the questions raised related to the implications in terms of rising prices for food grains and other eatables when the prices offered to farmers also increase. To this, our response is, if the prices of the agricultural inputs are reduced as needed, we will surely lower the demanded MSP. However, till then the government will have to pay the farmers their dues and also ensure through subsidies that the real needy families’ right to food is secured by keeping the food prices lower.

We will struggle for these prices and we will attain our right to the same. We would like not only the farmer’s organizations but also all political parties in the electoral fray today to take a position on this and let us know their opinion, with questions and comments, if any.

 

                                EXPECTED MSP [Based on C2 including FL+50]

 

Cost

       Produce value per acre as a basis for cost and appropriate price (1.5 times) (Rs)
  Wheat Soyabean   Cotton  Maize  Red Gram (desi chana)
Cultivator 700 1000 1000 – 1000
Weighing 800 800 800 800 800
Seed 2000 1800 1000 900 4500
Weaving 700 800 1000 500 1200
Super Manure 1500 1200 1500 1500 1000
Urea 600 – 600 600 500
Potash – – 850 – –
Pesticide – 10000 15000 5000
Reaping 2500 1500 5400 1500 1200
Extracting 1500 1500 1000 1200 1200
Rope 200 – – – –
Water charges 2000 – 4000 2000 4000
Electricity charges 1500 – 1000 1000 1000
Insurance 1000 1000 1500 1000 1000
Cost of farmers managerial contribution   4000 4000 4000 4000 4000
Imputed rent of farm 4000 5000 8000 5000 5000
Family labour 6000(1) 5000(3) 7500(5) 3000(7) 5000(9)
Transport 500 1000 2000 600 1000
Net cost of grain produced per acre 29500(2) 34600(4) 55100(6) 23600(8) 32900(10)
Net cost per quintal 1967 6920 6122 1967 6580
1.5 times cost per quintal