Specifically, this farmer organisation in a press release issued today has demanded that the CACP speak specifically of the difference in MSP under C2+50% and A2+FL+50%. The BJP led National Democratic Alliance had promised to implement the M S Swaminathan Commission recommendation of C2+50% way back in 2014. But even after 10 years, the CACP is fixing the MSP based on the A2+FL+50% formula which is way below C2+50%. In the last week, the Information and Broadcasting Minister had announced that the MSP approved for Kharif crops was 1.5 times more than the cost of production which is incorrect and all the Kisan organisations were forced to express their strong resentment and protest.

The AIKS has also demanded the White Paper shall cover the fact that presently below 10% of the farmers benefit out of the MSP announced by the CACP since there is no guaranteed procurement system across the country to ensure purchase based on this rate.

It is the CACP that has to advise the NDA Government to form a Price Stabilization Fund through collecting due shares from the monopoly trade and agribusiness corporates which makes huge profit out of processing and marketing of the agricultural products and also through allocation in the forthcoming Union Budget. The CACP has to consider the principle of fixing the prices ensuring minimum 30% of the gross value of the value-added products in the brand market made out of the agricultural commodities to share with the farmers. CACP has to advise no entry of Monopoly Capital and Multinational Corporations in agriculture including input industries of seed, fertilizer and pesticides.

Besides, the AIKS has reminded the CACP that during the last ten years under the NDA rule, considering the inflation and price rise the cost of production increased five times and the living cost also went unbridled thus making the farming in huge loss, farm households are facing severe indebtedness thus forcing 31 farmers commit suicide daily during the same period.

Finally, the AIKS has demanded repeal of GST on inputs in agriculture, no privatisation of electricity, ensuring minimum support price to all crops with guaranteed procurement and minimum wage for dignified life to workers, promoting collectives and cooperatives of small farmers and agricultural workers to reduce cost of production and to enhance production and productivity. Comprehensive linkage of MNREGS with farming, Public Sector extending interest free credit and insurance cover to all individual farms are necessary to save agriculture and the save farmers.

P Krishnaprasad, Finance Secretary and Pushpendra Tyagi CKC member of AIKS attended the meeting and raised the demands in the letter.

The letter to the chairman of CACP may be read here.

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The post AIKS demands a white paper from the CACP, inform farmers on the difference between C2+50% and A2+FL+50% formulae before MSP for Rabi crops are fixed appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Even going by the conservative cost estimates of the Commission on Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) the C2+50% is far above the MSP in all the 14 Kharif crops as shown in the table below, says a press release issued by the AIKS.

The discrepancy in cost calculation is further brought out when one takes the weighted average of State C2 Projections. In Paddy despite the fact that Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Jammu and Kashmir (both under Union Government) show absurdly low C2 costs of Rs.1000/Qtl and Rs.1017/Qtl, the weighted average C2 costs would come to Rs.2,188/Qtl and C2+50% will be Rs.3,282/Qtl or Rs.3,555/Qtl if the two are excluded. In that case in Paddy the losses suffered by farmers will be even higher at Rs.1,255/Qtl. Taking the example of Cotton as per the State C2 projections the C2+50% will be Rs.11,163/Qtl or a loss of Rs.4,042/Qtl. In Maize, the C2+50% as per State projection will be Rs.3378/Qtl, implying that at current MSP losses incurred will be Rs.1,153/Qtl.  This is the situation for all crops as the calculations of the Union Government agency, the CACP is way below the projection of the States. Clearly, the BJP led Government has not taken into account the increasing costs of production like high fertilizer prices, irrigation costs etc. They have also not bothered to give even scant respect to the States and their projections.

Accusing the minister, Ashwini Vaishnaw who is also the Union Minister of Railways of making callous claims, the AIKS has demanded that the Narendra Modi led Government put on hold this announcement and only after talks with the Samyukta Kisan Morcha come with a revised MSP in accordance with the promise of C2+50%. The AIKS has also called upon all its units to expose the dual speak of the BJP Government and the Prime Minister and rise in protest against the anti-farmer Government. The statement has been issued by President, AIKS, Ashok Dhawale and General Secretary, Vijoo Krishnan.

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The post Is the Modi government deceiving farmers on MSP, Yes say Farmers Organisations, MSP of Kharif crops far below C2+50% appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Farmer unions’ umbrella body Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) formed a five-member committee on December 4, 2021, to discuss the movement’s as yet pending demands with the central government.

SKM clarified that this is not an “MSP committee” as was asked by the government previously. Instead, leaders Ashok Dhawale, Balbir Rajewal, Gurnam Charuni, Shivkumar Kakka and Yudhvir Singh will negotiate with government representatives to resolve pending demands listed as follows: 

– legal guarantee to Minimum Support Price (MSP) for any agricultural produce that they sell; 

– withdrawal of Electricity (Amendment) Bill and deletion of penalising provisions related to Delhi Air Quality regulation; 

– withdrawal of cases against protesting farmers; 

– rehabilitation and compensation for the kin of people who were martyred during the struggle.

After the Centre declared that it has no data on martyred farmers (farmers groups estimated toll to be around 708 as of Saturday),  farmers also demanded land allotment for their memorial. Additionally, they demand the immediate sacking and arrest of Union Minister Ajay Mishra for his alleged role in the Lakhimpur Kheri killings.

“This 5-member Committee will in turn also decide on state-level teams that might have to work along with some state governments on some of the issues above,” said SKM in a press release.

Earlier, farmers suspended their marches during the Parliament’s winter session, hoping the government will respond to other peasant concerns as well. However, farmers were disappointed with the undemocratic manner in which the repeal of the three contentious laws were repealed.

Noting the lack of a formal response from the government regarding such demands, the SKM declared the farmers’ agitation will continue. Leaders said the ruling regime “has chosen to work informally and in a piecemeal fashion” of responding to farmers’ concerns.

“Farm unions have a bitter experience from the past of securing only oral assurances, ending their agitation and finding that governments renege on the meagre oral assurances too. We will not end this agitation without formal responses on each of the issues being raised by us,” said farmer leader Balbir Singh Rajewal in the joint statement.

The SKM stressed that all FIRs against agitating farmers and movement supporters must be dismissed. Allowing the Government of India two days to give a response, the next SKM meeting will take place on December 7.

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