Kisan union protests, seeks higher MSP for basmati yield

Demanding a minimum support price (MSP) of Rs 6,000 for basmati, the farmers associated with Kirti Kisan Union (KKU) staged a protest outside the Deputy Commissioner’s office here on Wednesday.

The farmer leaders also demanded that the state government intervene in the procurement of basmati and ensure that traders do not offer abysmally low prices to basmati cultivators. KKU vice-president Jatinder Singh Chhinna said, “The government has the responsibility to ensure better prices for basmati as it had encouraged farmers to increase the area under basmati cultivation to help conserve water.”

Chhinna said that now when the traders are offering less than a justified price, the government has a moral responsibility to act. The fine quality basmati is being priced at nearly Rs 3,000 per quintal this year. However, the farmers had got a much better price last year when they were able to get over Rs 4,000 per quintal.

The farmer leaders demanded that the MSP of Rs 6,000 per quintal for basmati 1121 variety and of Rs 5,000 per quintal for 1509 and 1692 varieties of basmati should be ensured.

District president of the Kirti Kisan Union Satnam Singh Jhander said, “The basmati from Punjab is being exported to Arab countries via ports run by Adani group in Gujarat. It can easily be sent to Arab countries through Attari and Hussaniwala borders in Punjab.” He said that this could give employment to workers in Punjab and also reduce transportation cost for traders.

The KKU leaders alleged that farmers are being exploited because of the nexus between politicians, bureaucrats and traders and they are given low prices for the world’s best quality rice.

Hardeep Kaur Kotla of KKU said that in the financial year 2023-24, 5.8 billion dollars was earned for the country through export of basmati. “It is shocking that the government is neglecting the interests of farmers at the cost of big exporters,” she said.

The protesters also demanded an increase in the prices of sugarcane to Rs 450 per quintal. They also demanded from the government to ensure availability of DAP and other fertilisers to farmers for sowing vegetables and wheat crop.