Why Are The Farmers Under Debt?

WHY ARE THE FARMERS UNDER DEBT?

• Majority of the farmers are selling their farm products to the government below the MSP, and as a result, farmers are forced to take loans and are imprisoned for the failure of the debt payment.

• Some of the major crops/farm produce that are being sold below MSP are :
1. Wheat
2. Cotton
3. Mustard
4. Milk
5. Sugarcane

• The Rashtriya Kisan Mahasangh is organising the protests.
• Farmers to protest on 30 national highways.
• Main demands of the farmers are loan waiver for all the farmers, payment of MSP, and minimum income applicable to the farmers.

• It was a 10 day protest.
• The protest also coincided with the first anniversary of the tragic killings in Mandsaur, Madhya Pradesh, where 5 farmers were killed by the policemen amidst protest on June 6, 2018.

• Farmers to suspend transportation of farm produce to nearby cities.

ISSUE

• Thousands of Indian farmers began a 10-day protest demanding farm loan waiver, and higher prices for produce, such as cereals, oil seeds, sugarcane and milk.

• Farmers from Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan are also demanding for a guaranteed minimum income for the farmers, irrespective of the sale of produce.

• Farmers are also demanding a Minimum Support Prices (MSP) - the price at which the government buys farm products.