People's Democracy

AIKS Demands Re-Constitution

 Of the Committee on MSP

The All India Kisan Sabha issued the following statement on May 13, 2013

THE ministry of agriculture has announced the setting up of three committees to look into the important questions of the modality of fixing the minimum support price of crops, free trade agreements and agriculture and FDI in retail and farm livelihoods.

All India Kisan Sabha was among the first to articulate the demand for a representative committee to look into the modality of fixing minimum support price.  It was our considered opinion that the cost calculations made by the commission on agricultural costs and prices based on figures from directorate of economics and statistics are flawed, outdated and a gross underestimation. We have placed this opinion before the CACP and the ministry of agriculture and the former as well as the present chairpersons of the CACP, Mahendra Dev and Ashok Gulati who agreed to raise this matter with the government. Our written representation on price policy including this issue has been regularly submitted to the CACP before every rabi and kharif.

The AIKS has also consistently raised its voice against the adverse effects of free trade agreements and FDI in retail trade on agriculture and farm livelihoods. It also had made a critique of the government notification on FDI in agriculture which preceded the FDI in retail trade.  It took the lead in organising a human chain across the length and breadth of Kerala against the Indo-ASEAN FTA and a national round table on the India-European Union FTA and other FTAs in the pipeline. On both these issues the Kisan Sabha has sought to bring to the notice of the government, the adverse impacts of such agreements and policies.

However, the government has chosen to form a committee without including the AIKS which is the largest organisation of the peasantry in India with a membership of over two crores. Keeping out critical voices with a reach across the country and the highest mass membership is against the principle of objectivity. The AIKS demands that the government reconstitute the committee on MSP to include representatives of AIKS as well as representatives of all national organisations of the peasantry and also include them in the other committees proposed. The AIKS also in addition to this demands constitution of a broad-based committee to examine the government proposal of public private partnership in agriculture which is aimed at facilitating corporate take-over of agriculture.

The AIKS will continue its efforts in mobilising all sections of the peasantry and rural poor against all anti-people policies and in defense of their just rights.