Holding red flags and banners and raising slogans against the State and Union governments, hundreds of farmers took out a procession from SVP Circle to the district administrative complex and staged a demonstration outside it demanding scientific Minimum Support Price (MSP) for red gram crop. The agitation was organised by Socialist Unity Centre of India – Communist (SUCI-M) and its farmers’ wing Raita Krishikarmikara Sanghatane (RKS).
Addressing the farmers at the agitation site, Ganapathrao Mane of RKS, lashed at successive governments for ignoring the farm sector and implementing “anti-farmer” policies to help corporate classes in agri-business.
“Governments are insensitive and are paying least attention to the farm sector despite farmers increasingly committing suicides. It the corporate-oriented agriculture policies that are pushing farm sector into a deep crisis,” he said.
Demanding scientific MSP considering cost of cultivation plus comfortable profit margin, H.V. Diwakar, district secretary of SUCI-M, said, “If farmers get scientific prices for their crops, they don’t need any freebies that governments offer in the name of welfare schemes as they will lead a dignified life with their hard-earned money”.
Farmers who participated in the agitation alleged that the red-gram price would significantly drop when their crop is harvested and brought to the market.
“Government announces MSP after half of the crop is harvested and sold out at a throwaway price. We, therefore, demand that government should announce the MSP well before the commencement of harvest and open procurement centres at each gram panchayat,” a farmer said.
Traffic movement was hit for a brief period due to agitation.