Punjab, January 3, 2025 – The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) has sharply criticized the NDA government’s draft National Agriculture Marketing Policy, labeling it “more dangerous” than the farm laws repealed in 2021.
The farmers’ coalition cautioned that the proposed policy would erode federal rights of state governments while endangering the livelihoods of farmers, agricultural workers, small traders, and producers. “The BJP-led NDA government, influenced by corporate interests and international institutions like the World Bank, aims to centralize control over agriculture with this policy, compromising India’s food security and sovereignty under the pretense of ‘one nation, one market,’” SKM said in a statement.
Key grievances include the absence of a minimum support price (MSP) guarantee for farmers and minimum wages for laborers, which the SKM argued are essential to protecting rural livelihoods. “Farmers continue to supply raw materials to markets dominated by corporations that set unfair terms and absorb the lion’s share of profits. The draft policy fails to address this systemic imbalance or hold corporations accountable for equitable profit-sharing,” the statement read.
The SKM pointed out that the agrarian crisis stems from deep-seated social and political issues, not just technical deficiencies. Referring to the recommendations of the late MS Swaminathan’s National Commission on Farmers, it called the absence of provisions for a remunerative MSP in the draft a glaring oversight.
Lauding Punjab’s Aam Aadmi Party government and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann for rejecting the policy, the SKM urged other state leaders to promote transparent discussions involving all stakeholders—farmers, workers, small traders, and exporters—to devise an inclusive agricultural framework.
The SKM announced upcoming resolutions against the draft policy at kisan mahapanchayats scheduled in Tohana, Haryana, on January 4, and Moga, Punjab, on January 9.
“This policy does nothing to address the root cause of farmers’ income crisis,” the SKM said, calling on political parties to clarify their position.