Feb 12 — The Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) has expressed concern over the failure of the government to announce minimum support price (MSP) of wheat and other rabi crops and has cautioned the government against going ahead with any decision like reduction in the MSP.A meeting of the state executive of the BKU, held here last evening with Mr Baldev Singh Barkandi in the chair, observed that a case for reduction in the MSP of wheat, made out by certain vested interests, was based on misinformation and wrong data. The fact was that prices of diesel, fertilizer, farm machinery, farm chemicals and of other essential commodities had gone up by 10 to 15 per cent as compared to the last year and there was no reason for effecting a proportionate increase in the farm produce.
Giving details of the deliberations, the BKU general secretary Mr Manjit Singh Kadian, said the government was asked to initiate effective measures to improve the lot of farmers failing which the BKU, along with other farmers’ bodies, would launch an agitation to get justice. Many of the debt-ridden farmers had committed suicide and farming was no longer an economically viable profession.
The BKU demanded that the MSP of wheat and other rabi crops be fixed on the basis of price index of 1966-67, farmers be paid cash subsidies on the pattern of USA and other developed countries and the farmers be taken into confidence and educated about terms of conditions of tractor insurance.
According to Mr Kadian, the meeting took stock of the preparations for the protest rally to be held at Mumbai port on February 19 to raise voice against WTO agreement and flooding of domestic market with imported farm products. A jatha of more than 5000 farmers, led by the BKU chief, Mr Ajmer Singh Lakhowal, will reach Mumbai to participate in the rally.
