India's farmer protests are on the move again

Protesting farmers in northern India clashed with police over the weekend as they attempted to march towards the Indian capital New Delhi. The march reinvigorated a long-standing movement demanding government guarantees on crop prices.

On Sunday, farmers were met with tear gas and water cannons as they tried to breach police barricades on the border of Punjab and Haryana states in northern India. Eight protesters were reported injured.

Security has been tightened, while internet service has been blocked locally in Haryana by authorities who say they want to prevent the spread of misinformation in nearby villages around the protest site.  

The violent clashes were reminiscent of the massive protests over new farm laws in 2020 and 2021, during which hundreds of thousands of farmers camped on the outskirts of New Delhi.

The protests eventually pushed the government of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to abandon three bills that were aimed at overhauling India's agricultural economy. 

Farmers unions at the time said the bills would have allowed large corporations to set the prices of crops, thereby endangering farmers' income. At the core of the farmers' demands was a legal guarantee of a "Minimum Support Price," (MSP) for certain essential crops, which protects farmers from price drops.

After the laws were withdrawn in 2021, India's government pledged to set up an advisory panel comprising government officials and farmers to chart a path to ensuring minimum prices for crops.

However, farmers say the government is not doing enough after multiple meetings failed to bear fruit.

Farmers want stronger crop price guarantees

As a result of the faltering negotiations, the farmers have been camped out at Shambhu and Khanauri border points between the two north Indian states since February 2024.

This time around, aside from MSP guarantees, the farmers are demanding a range of measures from the government to ensure the financial feasibility of farming. This includes a farm debt waiver, pensions for farmers and farm laborers, and no hike in electricity tariffs.

On Friday last week, Indian Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan told parliament that the government had fixed MSPs of crops to allow least 50% returns to farmers and will purchase all farm produce at these rates. 

"This is the Modi government's guarantee," Chouhan said in the context of ongoing farm protests. This has not yet satisfied farmers who maintain that the government only buys rice and wheat in sufficient quantities at the support price level.

"There does not seem to be any sincerity to solving the farmers' issues. The government is always seeking to buy time. We demand enforceable MSPs for all essential crops," Darshan Pal a farmer's union leader, told DW. 

But implementing a nationwide price safety net for farmers is complicated, one expert told DW. "To truly address the income security issues faced by farmers, agrarian reforms must focus on expanding the scope of MSP, improving procurement processes, and ensuring that all farmers can access these benefits equitably," Lekha Chakraborty, professor and chair at India's National Institute of Public Finance and Policy, told DW. 

"There has to be more substantial guarantees regarding their livelihoods to create a sustainable agricultural framework," she added. 

March on hold, for now

The farmers are now planning their next move after being stopped by police from marching on Delhi. Their cause was boosted after India's Supreme Court refused to act on a petition calling for the protesters to be cleared from national and state highways in Punjab.

"We will chalk out our next course of strategy as we are put on hold our march for now. We will not give up till our demands are met," Swaran Singh Pandher of the "Kisan Majdoor Morcha" (KMM) protest group told DW.  

Pandher has gained attention in recent weeks for spearheading the current farmer protests, including the "March to Delhi."

"We have the right to protest and our demands cannot be ignored. The way forward is mounting pressure," added Pandher. 

Since November 26, to keep the pressure up, another farmer leader, Jagjeet Singh Dallewal, has been on a fast-unto-death at the Khanauri border. 

Agriculture is India's economic backbone  

Agriculture is a critical sector in India, employing a significant portion of the population and contributing around 15 to 20% to the GDP, although this share has been declining. 

According to recent government figures, approximately 260 million people in India are employed in agriculture, which accounts for over 45% of the country's workforce.  

This statistic is supported by data from the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS), which indicates that the share of workers in agriculture has increased to over 46% as of 2024, up from 42.5% prior to the COVID pandemic. 

A key problem is ensuring income for smallholders, farmers who cultivate marginal or small holdings of less than two hectares (just under five acres) of land. 

Smallholders face various production risks including climate-related issues like droughts and floods, which disproportionately affect their yields compared to larger farms. The reliance on rain-fed agriculture further aggravates these challenges. 

Indra Shekhar Singh, an independent agriculture policy analyst, told DW the government must address the long-standing grievances of the farming community with sufficient targeted spending. 

"The farmers' protests represent a new reality. The hunger strike and tear gassing of peacefully protesting farmers is creating public sympathy for them. What is brewing right now is a warm-up," said Singh 

"Both the parties — government and the farmers groups are testing the waters and readjusting their strategies," he added.

Edited by: Wesley Rahn