Farmers’ nationwide march reaches Madurai

Farmers across the district gathered on Sunday as the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) brought its nationwide Kanniyakumari to Kashmir march to the city.  

The stop aimed to mobilise local support and spread awareness of the collective demands of the farming community. 

Speaking at the event, SKM National Coordinator Jagjit Singh Dallewal declared the organisation’s firm resolve to reject any legislation that undermines farmer welfare.  

He called for a statutory guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP) calculated according to the Swaminathan Commission’s recommendations, alongside a comprehensive debt waiver for all farmers and labourers. 

“These are not new demands; we have been advocating these years to ensure that the livelihoods of millions of farmers are finally secured,” Mr. Dallewal stated. 

He further questioned the fundamental inequality in the market, asking why farmers remain unable to exercise the right to fix the price of their own produce when traders and manufacturers are routinely allowed to fix prices that safeguard them against losses. 

Further, Mr. Dallewal emphasised that the current economic structure disproportionately favours large corporations over the backbone of the nation—its food producers.  

He said that while industrial goods are priced by their manufacturers to ensure profitability, farmers are forced to remain price-takers rather than price-makers, leaving them at the mercy of volatile market fluctuations and middlemen. 

“The cost of seeds, fertilisers, and fuel has skyrocketed, yet the returns on our labor remain stagnant,” he asserted.  

He warned that without a statutory backing for MSP—specifically following the formula (C2+50%) recommended by the Swaminathan Commission—the cycle of debt would continue to claim lives.  

“The movement would not back down until the government transitions from mere promises to concrete legislative action, ensuring that farming becomes a dignified and sustainable livelihood for the next generation,” he stated.  

Farmer leader Kuruburu Shanthakumar, P. Ayyakannu, P.R. Pandian and others were present at the event.