Political harvest: Promises galore, but what is the mood in the fields?

The second and concluding part of the MSP series looks at farmer sentiment in poll-bound states

The track to ballot boxes runs through fields. And political parties know if they are to win the race to those boxes, they need the owners of those fields on their side.

“The parties, it seems, have figured out that farmers are going to be the kingmakers this time,” quips Suder Baxla, a farm leader from Narayanpur, a district in Chhattisgarh.

Baxla’s state is among the five that are in election season. These are all states where a significant percentage of households are directly reliant on agriculture: Rajasthan (63.3 per cent), Madhya Pradesh (57.7 per cent), Telangana (47.3 per cent), Chhattisgarh (55 per cent) and Mizoram (60 per cent).

For all of them, minimum support price (MSP), the minimum floor price farmers must get from the government for their crops, is a make-or-break issue.

Cognisant of the mood and of the Lok Sabha election next year, last month, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government at the Centre increased the MSP for rabi crops. Wheat, the primary rabi crop, saw the highest increase since 2007-08 — a jump of Rs 150, taking the MSP to Rs 2,275 per quintal.

Not to be left behind, opposition-led Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Telangana are also promising higher MSP. Farmers, meanwhile, have adopted a wait-and-watch approach.

Madhya Pradesh

The scene at the bustling Chhatarpur mandi, where sale of wheat is on, hints at a lack of enthusiasm ahead of the state polls. Many farmers express discontent over the BJP state government’s wheat procurement plans. Some say the misery brought upon by the unseasonal rains forced farmers to sell their produce at distressingly low prices.

Similar grievances emerged in Sehore district a few months ago. Kamal Jogi, a farmer from Chauki village in the district, says his crops fetched a mere Rs 1,900 per quintal against the state-designated price of Rs 2,125. “It's hard to cover the sowing cost if the produce doesn’t sell,” he says.

With nearly 7.6 million farmers, Madhya Pradesh is a crucial wheat producer. In its election manifesto, the Congress promised an MSP of Rs 2,600 per quintal for wheat.

Some farmers contend that the Centre’s Rs 150 increase in wheat MSP, too, falls short. Alaknana Tomar, a farmer from Chhatarpur, says the input cost of farming is a lot more than the MSP offered. “Fertilisers and diesel prices have increased. Moreover, the MSP hike is futile without adequate procurement.”

The Food Corporation of India (FCI) slashed its procurement target by 22 per cent in 2023, forcing some farmers to sell their produce to private players at lower MSP, Tomar says.

The Centre’s decision to release 50 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of wheat in the open market also hasn’t resonated well with farmers. Many of them were forced to sell at Rs 1,800-2,000 per 

quintal across Malwa, Bhopal and Narmadapuram mandis, Tomar says. There is also discontent due to the ban on wheat exports in force since May 2022.

Chhattisgarh

Baxla, the farm leader from Narayanpur, grows paddy on about 5 acres of land with his brother. He says that the ruling Congress party’s policies have worked.

“The existing crop prices are fine. The government even waived off loans for some farmers,” he says. Congress has promised to increase the MSP for the state only because the BJP has offered higher prices, he believes.

For the farmers of Chhattisgarh, the price of paddy has been a key issue since the state was created 23 years ago.

Congress has promised to increase it to Rs 3,200 per quintal from Rs 2,660, and the BJP is offering to buy 21 quintals per acre at Rs 3,100 in a single instalment.

Farmers, however, view these promises with scepticism, citing historical disparities between assurances and actions.

“The BJP’s paddy procurement policy fell short of expectations. We received only Rs 1,900 per quintal. Despite ‘Chawal-waale baba’ (as former Chief Minister Raman Singh is called) spearheading numerous procurement and PDS (public distribution system) policies, his administration overlooked the MSP matter,” says a farmer who does not want to be named. “Before the 2013 polls, BJP pledged a Rs 300 bonus on every quintal of paddy, which was fulfilled but for just two years,” he adds.

Rajasthan

In October, the Centre increased the MSP of rapeseed-mustard by Rs 200, to Rs 5,650 per quintal for the 2024-25 marketing season. Rajasthan is the largest producer of rapeseed-mustard and the fifth-largest producer of wheat. Earlier this year, numerous farmers had protested in Delhi over a drastic price plunge exceeding Rs 1,000 per quintal, and had blamed the procurement policy for it.

Rampal Jat, chairman of Kisan Mahapanchayat, highlighted that under PM-Aasha, the government’s decision to procure only 25 per cent of total mustard production at the MSP of Rs 5,450 per quintal is a problem. “The rest is being sold in the market at Rs 4,500 per quintal,” he says. “Rajasthan produces about 50 per cent of the country’s mustard. We have decided not to sell it below the MSP.”

Mustard prices at the Bharatpur mandi, the hub of oilseeds trade, plummeted to approximately Rs 5,100-5,200 per quintal in May, marking a two-year low. The mandi prices in November last year were around Rs 7,500 per quintal.

“We will vote for the party that guarantees us MSP. We are keeping our options open,” says Jat, making a case for a law on MSP. As farmers, their biggest mistake, he says, has been that “we have always looked at caste, religion etc. while voting. This time we will vote on issues related to farming”.

Telangana

In Nizamabad, India’s largest turmeric market, the mood is that of optimism. The Centre’s promise in October to set up a turmeric board has brought cheer.

Muthyala Teja, a farmer from Ramchandrapally village, says some people in his village were so buoyed by the decision that, for the first time, they travelled nearly 200 km to hear the prime minister speak in a rally. 

“Ten years ago, turmeric prices were nearly Rs 14,000 per quintal. Over time, it fell to Rs 7,000 despite our output going up. We expect things to change now,” he says. He remembers the stories elders in the village would tell, of a time when one tola of gold was exchanged for one quintal of turmeric. “Let’s see if we can revive those days,” he says with a grin.

Not everyone shares his optimism. Some perceive this announcement as a mere election ploy, citing the lack of a clear road map, both for the turmeric board and the MSP.

Earlier this year, Telangana’s farmers protested for turmeric’s inclusion in the list of MSP-supported crops. For five years, prices have remained flat at Rs 4,500-5,000 per quintal. They demand an MSP of Rs 15,000 per quintal.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has promised Rs 12,000-15,000 as support price. Meanwhile, the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi is banking on its flagship scheme, Rythu Bandhu, to counter anti-incumbency sentiments.

The fields are clearly where all the action is.