Farmers’ body petitions President, seeks MSP law

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (non-political) has submitted a memorandum to President Droupadi Murmu through the office of the Deputy Commissioner of Mysuru, urging immediate intervention to address key issues faced by farmers across the country.

It urged Ms. Murmu to issue necessary directions to the government to fulfil their demands.

The letter, signed by its national co-convenor Kurubur Shanthakumar, outlined a series of demands aimed at policy protection for farmers. The memorandum was received by Additional Deputy Commissioner P. Shivaraj in Mysuru on Thursday.

Among the key demands is the passage of a Minimum Support Price (MSP) Guarantee Act, which would make MSP a legal right for farmers. The organisation has also strongly opposed the proposed India-U.S. trade agreement, demanding that agriculture, dairy and poultry sectors be excluded, along with a complete ban on the import of food and agricultural products.

The farmers’ body has also demanded the repeal of the SARFAESI Act implemented for the recovery of farmers’ loans.

The memorandum points out to falling potato prices and recent alleged farmer suicides reported in Punjab and Uttar Pradesh. It has called for a special compensation package to potato farmers and assured procurement at remunerative prices.

Raising concerns over procurement practices, the letter criticises new rules in Haryana mandis, stating that mandatory biometric verification and digital documentation have complicated the process, causing hardships to farmers. The rules must be withdrawn immediately as they are causing a lot of inconvenience to farmers, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha said.

Additionally, the organisation has sought the withdrawal of all police cases registered against farmers during recent protests.