4th round of talks between Union Ministers, farmers end with Centre proposing 5-yr deal to buy pulses & cotton at MSP
The fourth round of talks between Central ministers and farmer leaders in Chandigarh ended early on Monday morning after over four hours of discussions. Union Minister Piyush Goyal proposed a five-year deal with the farmers to buy pulses and cotton at minimum support price (MSP) during the meeting. However, farmers said they would respond after further discussion at 10 a.m. on Monday.
Goyal stated that the talks were held in a cordial atmosphere and that they had reached some consensus with the farmer leaders. He mentioned that the government had proposed an innovative idea where cooperative societies like NCCF and NAFED would form a contract for the next five years to buy products from farmers on MSP, without any limit on the quantity. Goyal also proposed that the Cotton Corporation of India would enter into a five-year agreement with farmers to purchase cotton crop at MSP. Other Union Ministers present at the meeting were Arjun Munda and Nityanand Rai.
The Punjab unit of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) has called for a day and night mass protest against MPs, MLAs, and district presidents of the BJP from February 20 to 22. The previous round of talks failed to address the farmers’ demands for a legal guarantee of MSP for their crops. Farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher demanded that the Centre bring an ordinance to provide a legal guarantee for MSP, a key demand of the protesting farmers.
The ban on Internet services in Haryana has been extended for two more days, and the suspension of mobile Internet has been extended until February 15.
After the meeting, Union Agriculture Minister Arjun Munda mentioned that discussions were positive and that a fourth round of talks would be held the following Sunday. The farmer leaders are expected to respond to the government’s proposal after further discussion on Monday at 10 a.m.
The developments in the ongoing dialogue between the government and the farmer leaders indicate potential progress, but the issue of legal guarantee for MSP remains a key sticking point in the negotiations. The outcome of the upcoming discussions will be pivotal in determining the future course of the protests and the government’s efforts to address the concerns of the farming community.
