Farmers unions to launch MSP satyagraha for better remuneration

Farmers unions on Wednesday decided to launch MSP Satyagraha on March 14 to make agriculturists aware of the losses they incur due to lack of remunerative crop prices and to press for assured Minimum Support Price (MSP).

Activists and farmers will travel from mandi (market) to mandi and hold Kisan Darbar to inform farmers about the loot and to raise demand for legal entitlement of fair MSP, according to a release.

The release said the government's announcement of 50 per cent profit over input cost in the Union Budget was a case of "sleight-of-hand" as the input cost was not comprehensive C2 cost but partial cost known as A2 + FL.

The signals in the (ongoing) Rabi season 2017-18 were not very good as prices of Bengal Gram had fallen substantially below the MSP of Rs 4,400 (MSP of Rs 4,250 + Rs 150 bonus), they added.

An analysis of the marketing season of Kharif crop 2017-18 had demonstrated that the farmers were forced to sell much below MSP and had incurred a total loss of at least Rs 32,702 crore, the release said.

Jai Kisan Andolan of Swaraj Abhiyan and All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC) will take part in the satyagraha march.

It will start from Karnataka's Yadgir on March 14 and will pass through Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Rajasthan and Haryana before concluding at Uttarakhand's Rudrapur on March 25.

MSP Satyagraha is designed in the true spirit of Gandhian Satyagraha for collective discovery of truth about MSP, and officials, activists and media are invited to join, said Yogendra Yadav of Swaraj Abhiyan, the release said.

--IANS

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