MSP guarantee law: Farmers’ awareness yatra from Kanyakumari to Kashmir from Feb 7

Demanding implementation of a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP) for agricultural produce, the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (non-political) has organised a farmers’ awareness yatra from Kanyakumari to Kashmir.

Addressing a press conference in Mysuru on January 16, Morcha national co-convener and Karnataka State Sugarcane Growers’ Association President Kurubur Shanthkumar said the 40-day yatra will begin from Kanyakumari on February 7, and culminate in Kashmir.

He said farmers had staged year-long agitations at the Delhi border to caution the Union Government, but no serious action was taken. Following the 131-day hunger strike by national farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, the Supreme Court directed the formation of a committee to be chaired by retired High Court judge Nawab Singh to submit a report on resolving farmers’ issues.

“A 31-member Parliamentary Standing Committee on agriculture has also submitted a report on the enactment of an MSP guarantee law. Despite the farmers’ demand, the Union Government has not initiated any concrete action on bringing the law,” he argued.

Mr. Shanthkumar said that, due to the absence of a law guaranteeing MSP, farmers across the country are incurring losses of nearly ₹15 lakh crore every year.

The yatra will pass through several States, during which signatures will be collected from farmers in villages along the route, to create awareness among farmers and to caution the government.

After the yatra concludes in Kashmir, a farmers’ convention will be held at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi on March 19. A memorandum containing the signatures collected from farmers across the country will be submitted to the Prime Minister, he said.

Farmer leaders Attahalli Devaraj, Baradanapura Nagaraj, Kiragasuru Shankar, Maraballi Neelakanthappa and Varakuda Nagesh were present.