Bengaluru, 12 Feb

The SKM on Thursday urged Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to press the Centre to fulfill what it termed the "most important demands of farmers".

It flagged issues ranging from a legal guarantee for MinimumSupport Price (MSP) to a farm loan waiver and a climate compensation policy.

A delegation led by Sanyukt Kisan Morcha convener Jagjit Singh Dallewal and co-convener Kurubara Shanta Kumar called on Siddaramaiah at his office and held a meeting with him.

They later submitted a memorandum to him, which the CMO shared with the media.

In the memorandum, the Morcha raised concerns over agrariandistress and called for immediate policy interventions at the national level.

The farmers’ body claimed, "We, the farmers of India, would like to inform you that the agricultural sector has been neglected by consecutive governments for a long time, forcing more than 400,000 farmers to die by suicide."

It added, "The agricultural sector is the backbone of India’s economic development."

It further pointed out that even during the Covid-19 pandemic, when most sectors were shut, agriculture continued to grow at a rate of 3.6 per cent.

Urging the CM to intervene with the Centre, athe organisation wrote, "We would like to request you to press the Central Government to fulfill the following demands to improve the agricultural sector and secure the future of farmers."

Among its key demands, the Morcha called for the enactment of a law guaranteeing MSP for all crops and full procurement from all farmers.

Citing a past recommendation, it noted that to protect farmers’ interests, statutory provisions should be made to ensure that any transactions between farmers and buyers related to crop purchases do not fall below the MSP declared by the government.

The SKM also demanded the implementation of the MS Swaminathan Commission’s formula, under which the MSP should be fixed at 1.5 times the cost of production incurred by farmers.

It further sought a complete waiver of farm loans, the re-enactment of the 2013 Land Acquisition Act provisions ensuring farmers’ consent and enhanced compensation, and a higher Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) of at least Rs 600 per quintal for sugarcane with time-bound payments.

On climate-related distress, the Morcha said the governmentmust compensate farmers for losses due to increasing droughts and floods and undertake comprehensive reforms of the crop insurance scheme to make it more farmer-friendly.

It also demanded fair compensation for land affected by high-tension transmission lines and insisted that no provisions concerning farmers in the Seed Bill and the Electricity Amendment Bill be implemented without broad consent.