Amid Kisan Andolan in Delhi, MSP Panel Forms 4 Sub-Groups to Discuss Key Farmers’ Issues

The committee on minimum support price (MSP) has formed four sub-groups on specified topics in its first meeting on Monday, the day farmers returned to Delhi to protest against the government.

Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), the organization that led the year-long farmers' agitation against the three controversial agricultural laws, was not present at the agitation.

Making "MSP more effective and transparent" would be one of the four goals set forward by the MSP committee. Sanjay Agrawal, a former agriculture secretary, is the chairman of the committee, which has 26 members in total. For SKM delegates, there are three spots set aside.

The committee talked about measures to "promote zero budget-based farming," "change" crop patterns while taking into account the changing demands of the nation, and make MSP more "effective and transparent" during its meeting.

According to committee member Binod Anand, "the committee resolved to create four sub-groups or committees on three required issues after a day-long debate."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised to form a committee to look into farmers' MSP concerns when he announced the repeal of three farm laws in November of last year.

Agri-economists CSC Shekhar from the Indian Institute of Economic Development, Sukhpal Singh from IIM-Ahmedabad, and senior member Naveen P Singh of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) also participated in the discussion.

Nationally recognized farmers Bharat Bhushan Tyagi, Gunwant Patil, Krishnaveer Choudhary, Pramod Kumar Choudhary, Guni Prakash, and Sayyed Pasha Patel were among the farmer representatives present at the meeting. Dilip Sanghani, the IFFCO chairman, was there too.

The meeting also included senior representatives from agricultural institutions, central government secretaries, and the chief secretaries of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Sikkim, and Odisha.