MSP conflict with govt pushes Punjab farmers into stubble burning

Minimum support price has been a bone of contention between the farmers in Punjab and the state and Centre

On September 28, as people gathered around Hall Gate in Amritsar to commemorate Bhagat Singh’s birth anniversary, a sight left the people entering the walled city shocked.

A group of farmers, riding on tractors and trucks, scattered basmati rice on city roads and demanded that the government ensure a fair price.  Starting outside the office of the Deputy Commissioner, the farmer’s cavalcade later moved through various roads in the city and scattered the produce on the road.

Anguished over the low prices being offered to them for basmati, a farmer said: “We sold this for Rs 3,500-4,000 last time. This time we are selling it for nearly Rs 2,000 per quintal. We are poor farmers and don’t like wasting. But we see no other way of putting our point across.”

MSP or minimum support price has been a bone of contention between the farmers in Punjab and the state and central government. MSP has largely been touted as one of the obstacles in the diversification push the Centre advocates, largely leading to farmers resorting to a two-crop cycle.

This has led to incidents of stubble burning, as the farmers burn the paddy residue to sow wheat. Unlike previous years, the number of stubble burning incidents has reduced considerably this year. From the onset of the stubble burning season (widely considered September 15), the number of farm fires in Punjab has been 234 till October 8. This is down from 969 last year. The number of farm fires in 2022, 2021 and 2020 were 711, 500, and 2,227, respectively.

With the paddy procurement season beginning on October 1, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann chaired a meeting to make sure the procurement of paddy is hassle-free.

Explaining the costs behind paddy harvesting, Pulwinder Mann, a farmer in Attari, explains how the MSP of paddy (Rs 2,300) falls short of the costs incurred by farmers.

“For one acre of land, we’ll need one sack of dhai that would cost around Rs 1,300. Seeds would cost around Rs 1,500. Rs 1,000 for one acre waihya. We normally need two packets. Then you can add the costs of labour. For nearly one acre of land, the cost would go up to Rs 6,000. If you had manure, fertilizers etc, it can also go up to Rs 10,000. So you can judge for yourself,” said Mann.

Procurement of moong was also a rallying point between farmers and state authorities this year. Farmers were forced to sell moong below the MSP to the private players as the AAP-led Punjab government has not purchased a single grain of moong so far this year.

After coming to power two years ago, the Punjab government announced that it will purchase this pulse as part of the state’s crop diversification push. A number of reports suggest that there has been no government procurement of moong this year. As a result, a majority of the produce was sold to private players at nearly Rs 800 less than the MSP (Rs 8,555 per quintal).

A number of farmers said that they managed to cut losses as moong was sown in a much larger area this time compared to previous years.

“The problem is that if you come up with a policy, you also need to stick to it. First you introduce a policy and within two years you don’t work on it. How will people be incentivised to grow other crops? This is why some of them resort to paddy, and hence, stubble burning happens. And if you burn stubble, you are either penalised or a ‘red-entry’ is marked against your land record,” said a farmer on the condition of anonymity.

He adds: “Lately, this concept of ‘red-entries’ has been introduced. We are at the receiving end of both the problems. You (the government) have a policy issue which compels us to burn stubble. And when we do that, our land records are targeted. At times, they even cut our land’s electricity.”

Punjab has so far marked red-entries in the revenue record of 28 farmers, all of them from Amritsar. Those found involved would not be able to avail loan, mortgage, or sell their land. They would also not be able to apply for arms licences or renew licence.

Jagtaur Singh, sarpanch of Bapraur, a village 26 kms from Patiala, says growing potatoes, a crop which doesn’t involve much expense, is turning out to be a difficult task. “Potatoes are being sold for Rs 100-150. It costs Rs 200-250 just to grow it. A crop like peas is being sold at nearly the same price for as long as I have been farming (Rs 10-15). This time, it was sold for Rs 5 in some mandis. If we get a fixed rate, there is no reason for us to grow only these crops,” he said.  

He adds: “This heavy-handed approach to stubble burning won’t help anyone. Decisions can’t be made in Chandigarh or Delhi. You have to take our insights as well.”

“Do you think they (government) would have the same laws for industries? They use the same straws which we burn in their industries and pollute the environment. Do you see red-entries against them? Smoke may be burning in our fields but there is no haze in our minds,” the aforementioned anonymous farmer said, with a hearty laugh.