After the fourth round of talks between protesting farmers and Union Ministers concluded on Sunday night, the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella organization of farmer unions not directly linked to those leading the ‘Delhi Chalo’ march, has rejected the government’s 5-year MSP contract offer.
Following the meeting late Sunday night, Union Minister Piyush Goyal disclosed that a panel of three Union Ministers — Goyal, along with Agriculture and Farmer Welfare Minister Arjun Munda and Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai — proposed a five-year plan to purchase pulses, maize, and cotton crops at minimum support prices from the farmers.
However, the SKM criticized the proposal on Monday evening, labeling it as a diversion from the focal demands of farmers. They insisted on nothing less than the purchase of all crops, totaling 23 varieties, with guaranteed procurement, as promised in the BJP manifesto before the 2014 general election, as per an NDTV report.
Emphasizing further, the SKM stressed that procurement should be based on the C2+50% MSP formula recommended by the Swaminathan Commission, rather than the existing A2+FL+50% method.\
Additionally, the SKM criticized the Center for its lack of transparency throughout the four rounds of talks held so far.
The farmer leaders who engaged in the meeting with the central government’s panel on Sunday night had declared their intention to discuss the government’s proposal within their forums over the next two days. Following which they planned to decide the future course of action.
