Farmers to press for statutory backing for MSP regime

Tributes paid to former PM Charan Singh on his birth anniversary

Enthused by the Centre withdrawing the three farm laws, farmers on Thursday vowed to step up stir seeking statutory backing for the minimum support price regime and press for continuing various subsidies, including free power to farm sector.

Celebrating the National Farmers’ Day after paying floral tributes to former Prime Minister Chaudhary Charan Singh, a champion of farmers’ cause, on his 117th birth anniversary, Samyukta Kisan Morcha State convener Vadde Sobhanadreeswara Rao said the stir which culminated in the scrapping of the farm laws was only a beginning. There was still a long way to go to change the ‘anti-farmer’ policies. India and China should join hands to oppose the World Trade Organisation (WTO) regime and continue subsidies on farm inputs in a big way as a majority of the farmers came under the category of resource-poor persons in these countries.

Alliance for Sustainable and Holistic Agriculture founder convener Kuruganti Kavitha underscored the need for ensuring income security for farmers and a fair deal for women farm workers eking out a livelihood in farms.