Protesting farmers have refused the government’s proposal for a five-year contract to purchase pulses, maize, and cotton at the old minimum support price (MSP), setting the stage for another confrontation at the Delhi borders.
The announcement rejecting the proposal came shortly after the Samyukt Kisan Morcha, an umbrella organization of farmer unions not involved in the current protests, also criticized the MSP offer.
Speaking at a press conference at the Shambhu border, situated between Punjab and Haryana, farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher stated that the proposal did not meet their demands. He announced that the protesting farmers would recommence their march towards Delhi in a peaceful manner starting Wednesday.
Jagjit Singh Dallewal, another farmer leader, outlined the reasons for turning down the proposal, emphasizing that it was illogical for the MSP to apply to only a few crops while leaving other farmers to fend for themselves.
Highlighting the government’s expenditure of ₹1.75 lakh crore on palm oil imports, which he argued was detrimental to public health, Dallewal suggested that this amount could be utilized to support farmers in cultivating oilseeds, enabling the declaration of MSP for these crops.