Before writing on the matter of farmers in India, we wanted to thoroughly educate ourselves in order to push out a message for anyone reading.
After doing a lot of research on our own, and speaking with people from India themselves, it took some time to truly accumulate our thoughts on what is actually happening in India. It is easy to repost something on social media, however understanding the facts in the forefront is ever crucial, as well as actually reading what the legislature is saying in this matter. The legislation that was passed does not benefit or support the farmers. The intent is to create something structured and progressive like the United States. The idea is to diminish corruption and give a fair shot to Indian farmers, but at the end of the day it will lead to more corruption.
In order to understand this issue, we have to focus on the main thing that no one is really having a conversation about. Nobody is talking about the amount of corruption and how a lot of these farmers are actually living their lives. It goes beyond just planting a seed, caring for the farm, and harvesting it. Farmers take up on shark loans and have insurmountable debt. Farmers go to Commission Agents (middlemen who help sell crops in the Mandi, which is the marketplace) and ask for money for their farm and life needs or whatever else. Sure, that money can be asked for at the bank, but a lot of the time it is not granted. Long story short, after the harvest season, and after all expenses are paid, the debt is still carried because of the compounded interest month after month. This is another reason why a lot of farmers are in debt.
You might be wondering, what is the issue with this legislation? There is an issue with the concepts of the MSP (minimum support price, contract farming and the storage of crops. When hearing from protestors about the new legislation, one of most common things you will hear is the term MSP. So, what is the deal with the MSP? Through the new legislation, the government is giving corporations the power to regulate the MSP. The commodity prices can inflate or deflate, and the government will not be regulating it, basically moving themselves away from responsibility and accountability. Next, the legislation brings in contract farming which means small farmers can get into a contract deal. The assumption is that after two years of fair payments (i.e. Rs. 1868 per quantile of Rice Paddy), the private contractor can leverage and say they only want to pay Rs. 1200 per quantile. Farmers will not be able to go to court and can only address this issue in the local committee in their local governing area which ultimately will be something that will never be listened to. Currently, India has 4 years’ worth of surplus food to feed the whole country and storage was illegal at the small scale. Now, the government is allowing corporations to store crops on a small scale.
All in all, the government is trying to offload the agricultural headache for the country to private corporations, but the only way private corporations will take on that headache is by making the deal sweet for themselves. This is why these laws in place benefit the corporations. The idea of a free market is a great idea and it can help build the economy in great ways; however, the government really needs to regulate what big corporations are doing. We saw what happened in 2008 with the stock market in the United States, and we’ve seen Big Pharma companies take advantage of certain situations despite knowing the negative implications to not only the consumer, but the overall economy, and in this particular issue, the common man.
Now, you may have seen a lot of posts about the farmers’ issue on social media and you may have generalized it into a religious issue as many have. However, let’s get this out of the way, this is NOT A RELIGIOUS ISSUE. People, including the bought-out media in India and the government, are trying to label protestors and their supporters as terrorists. They claim groups are using this protest as a means for their own agenda, however all these protestors are doing is carrying out a peaceful protest just to have the government listen to them. Farmers have made the trek from Punjab to Delhi, on foot, bikes or tractors which has taken them 2 to 3 days in cold winter temperatures. In an effort to stop them, the government ripped up the roads. In response, the protestors got on their hands and knees and manually began to refill these holes. The police began to hit the protesters with water cannons filled with unsanitary water. In response, the protestors fed the police, acknowledging they are doing their duty and also tried to explain to the police officers why they were marching.
Since the protestors have been in Delhi, it has turned into one of the biggest human protests, if not the biggest protest. Communities all around the world are taking part in rallies to get the attention of the world to this problem. In return, social media outlets such as Facebook and Instagram are censoring posts in an attempt to quiet the issue. To label them as terrorists is disgusting and whoever is doing so should be ashamed. These are families from various regions of India such as Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Gujarat, who have lived their lives in debt and seen the affects it has had on their families. This debt and the exploitation of our farmers lead to high rates of suicide in the farming community. Those that feed the country and the world are taking their own lives.
What farmers want is for their future generations to have a better life. We wholeheartedly respect everything farmers have done and stand with them in this fight for humanity in the conduct of business from the Indian government. Shame on the Indian government for treating our elderly with disgrace in the abuse on their peaceful march. We encourage you all to do your research when it comes to any social issue like this. For us, being members of the Bhangra community and coming from families built on farming back home, this is an issue close to our hearts, our fellow brothers and sisters, and our Bhangra family. For you, this issue also matters, because without farmers there is no food, and a lot of our products and spices come from these farmers. For the world, this an issue because this is an issue of human rights!
Don’t bite the hand that feeds you, and never bite the hand of those who feed the world. #westandwithfarmers
— Cherag Selhi Ft. Nishjot K. Sidhu
Nish Jots Her Thoughts 