Wednesday, November 23, 2011

MSP: VIDARBHA BURNING!

MSP: Minimum Support Price is the price the Central Government fixes for all the Agriculture Produce in India, suppose to benefit the farmers’ community BUT...

MSP has turned out to be Murderous Systematic Plan by the Government!

I had written about the MSP as one of the major requirements or needs of the farmers in February 2011, please read in detail under the series “WHAT THE FARMERS NEED”



Petrol and petroleum products have seen 13 times Price Hike since the last 13 months and when the PM is pushed by allies, he states – “The Government has no say in Private Sectors.” But when it comes to Agriculture Produce, the government keeps a check on the farmers’ community to increase their woes and miseries further more by fixing a low MSP, which is not even equivalent to their initial investment, forget about their selfless hard work all through the year in hot sun, high temperatures and heavy rains.

Every manufacturer and producer, be it a drug manufacturing company or a builder, soap making companies or an advertising agency, media or else any one who is a businessman are allowed to fix a “Particular Price” for their finished or raw products EXCEPT my dear citizen of the world, THE FARMERS!!! WHY? WHY? WHY? Just because they are the poor lot? The world all over, the respective government of each country have been exploiting the farmers’ community along with the rich traders lobby of the market to control the price of agriculture produce.

Thanks to the Civic Assembly Polls early next year 2012 (in February), every opposition party including few Congress leaders too, have voiced their concern to increase the MSP of Cotton, Soyabean, Paddy and other crops as well (only recently when the Marathawada Farmers protested for the increase in Sugarcane MSP, the Agriculture Minister & the CM increased the MSP – for the simple reason... all the Sugar Mills & Liquor Distilleries are owned by Kith & Kins of Political Leaders)... Protest and Agitation on the roads have become the order of the day in various districts of Vidarbha. I am glad that at least this year, the political leaders have woken up (even if it is for their vote bank in polls), it is certainly a welcome sign! The series – WHAT THE FARMERS NEED – certainly tries to show how the farmers can be helped and supported to increase their output if the government and political leaders join hands... mere promises will never solve the crisis in Vidarbha or else any nation...

All along, the hard work of selfless farmers’ community, to feed the nation and allow everyone except his own family to benefit – are being exploited, controlled and looted while pushing them towards the edge, whereby their only choices remain is to succumb to end their lives or else migrate to cities leaving their traditional ancient profession. Instead of helping the farmers’ community, the government has been sucking even the last drop of blood from the poor farmers...

Their fertile lands are being grabbed at an alarming pace in the name of economic growth!
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The water for irrigation are being diverted to heavy industries and thermal power projects to illuminate the cities while the villagers live in darkness since time immemorial!

Their seeds also have been snatched away from them by selling the patent rights to big greedy MNCs like Monasato, GM etc...!

Their Cattle Bank have been snatched away from them by showing a false dream of modernisation of agriculture, thereby making the hardworking farmers to depend more on machines to make them lazy as compared to earlier times!

Come Sowing Season, the government along with traders’ lobby create artificial shortage of seeds, pesticides and fertilizers to escalate prices to loot the farmers, thereby increasing their initial investment and those who cannot afford with whatever they have, have no option but to get into the debt trap!

Their electricity connections (those who have, majority have not seen electricity in their lives) are cut exactly at the particular time when they need to irrigate their lands... yes, unlike the rich industrialists, the farmers’ community don’t get a special low tariff! Yes, none of the politicians have ever bothered about this aspect!

AND, fighting against all odds with nature’s mood – either there is heavy rainfall, no rainfall or scanty rainfall, along with all the factors mentioned above (there are many more but I have mentioned only the major ones) – when the farmers harvest a bumper yield – the BIG BLOW comes like a TIGHT SLAP on their FACES with low MSP while the traders’ lobby will dictate the terms and condition to exploit the poor to crush to their dreams for their families!

So tell me citizen of the world... how will a poor farmer survive the onslaught of the greedy corrupt system of government’s faulty policies and manipulations of the traders’ lobby?

Vidarbha is burning this year 2011 not because the MSP for Cotton, Soyabean or Paddy is low... Vidarbha is burning because there is Civic Assembly Polls next year 2012 and every political parties have come on roads to encash their vote bank! I am happy for the farmers because even though the political parties are protesting in support of higher MSP, at least the poor farmers will benefit to get a higher MSP for their produce...

... to be continued...

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