NEW DELHI: When the verdict of the Lok Sabha elections was announced in June, resentment among farmers in Maharashtra was seen as a major factor behind BJP’s dismal performance in the state, along with nervousness among Scheduled Caste voters who feared the party might amend the Constitution if it returned with 400-plus seats. Changing the perception was part of the NDA govt’s agenda, especially in the wake of protests in Punjab.
Over the next five months, the BJP-led Centre and the Mahayuti‘s “double engine” coalition sought to address these concerns, especially those related to onions and soybean – issues that agitated Maharashtra farmers this summer – with tur growers too coming into the focus.
Unlike the general elections, when the Centre waited until May to lift the ban on onion exports as it sought to comfort consumers, by early Sept, it had decided to lift the minimum export price -another tool deployed to check the shipment ofsensitive commodities out of the country.
At the same time, it built a stockpile of the politically-sensitive kitchen ingredient, procuring 4.7 lakh tonnes of onions directly from farmers, instead of 3 lakh tonnes last year. And, this came at a higher average price of over Rs 28 a kg – 64% higher than the Rs 17 paid to farmers last year.
Similarly, within days of coming to power at the Centre, the Modi govt announced a 6% increase in the minimum support price (MSP) for soybean to Rs 4,892 a quintal with an eye on Maharashtra, the second-largest producer after Madhya Pradesh, at a time when market prices were near the lowest levels in a decade due to excess supply in the global market. Besides, the agriculture ministry decided to procure a quarter of the produce from the western state through govt agencies, even relaxing some of the norms.
While dairy was the other area of unease, the Centre has focused on tying up contracts with tur growers, where India is a major importer, along with other pulses such as urad and masur. Although market prices for tur are higher than the MSP, the move has sought to comfort farmers and send a positive message amid the constant complaints of sugarcane growers.