One year after Mandsaur, farmers still wary of MP govt’s antics

The irony in Madhya Pradesh is not confined to overflowing granaries and starving farmers. The state has a farmer as Chief Minister and another farmer as Agriculture Minister. A high percentage of its legislators are farmers too. Yet it has seen nearly 15,500 farmers ending their lives in less than 14 years of BJP rule.

Midway through the 10-day agitation launched on June 1, farmers have however realised they would not be able to hold back their perishable produce. In Bhopal, vegetable arrivals have dwindled. The prices have risen. But there is no gain so far for the farmer whose share has been usurped by the traders in collusion with government officials.

The agitation has remained peaceful so far. Farmers have avoided hitting the street. They call it farmers’ vacation. They read an ominous signal in the reported intelligence alert about possible violence. Mutual distrust is so high that the farmers suspect the government might spark off violence and blame it on the protesters. They have learnt from last year’s Mandsaur experience. Some traders had assaulted four farmers in Piplya Mandi. Retaliatory attack by farmers led to arson driving many traders to seek police help. The resultant riot led to firing on farmers, leaving six dead. This time around, leaders from the BJP farmers’ cell have only added to acrimony. The party had to expel an office-bearer of the farmers’ cell. He called all farmers thieves who deserved to be beaten with shoes. A video that went viral shortly before the agitation shows BJP leader Hakim Singh insulting farmers. “The state government is offering ₹800 per quintal for garlic and the farmers who did not even sow the crop have also registered themselves with the mandis. Traders are earning ₹2 on this while the farmers are getting ₹6 per kg,” he said. BJP’s new state chief Rakesh Singh expelled him.

Hakim Singh was apparently referring to the Bhavantar scheme that was touted as the panacea for all that ailed agricultural pricing in the state. Under the scheme the government pays farmers part of the difference between the average wholesale price and the minimum support price to mitigate the farmers’ losses, has backfired. It has triggered this year’s agitation. With cash squeezed out of the government coffers thousands of farmers have not received compensation for crop damage. The government has been claiming the treasury has gone dry.

The Bhavantar scheme has left the farmers fuming as the traders are forming cartels and manipulating prices to cause distress sale. They register as farmers, to draw benefits from the government and rig the prices to make a killing. It happened to the prices of onions last year when traders bought up massive quantities of produce at throw away prices and when the government announced a reasonable support price they unloaded the produce to rake in all profit.

This year garlic was brought under Bhavantar scheme. It sold at upto ₹8000 per quintal in January this year. Price dropped up to ₹2000 per quintal in March and to ₹200 per quintal by May, leaving the farmers devastated. In the tussle between the farmer and the trader the government is mostly seen standing by the latter.