Govt had not assured farmers of panel to provide legal guarantee of MSP, says Tomar

New Delhi: The Centre had not assured farmer unions' body Samyukta Kisan Morcha of setting up a committee to provide legal guarantee on the minimum support price, Parliament was informed on Tuesday.

Under the umbrella of Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), thousands of farmers had held a year-long agitation at Delhi borders and forced the government to withdraw the three contentious farm laws.

While announcing the repeal of the three farm laws in November last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised to set up a committee to discuss various farmers' issues, including the minimum support price (MSP).

When asked whether the government had assured SKM of the constitution of a committee to provide a legal guarantee on MSP to farmers, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar in a written reply said, "No Sir." "The government had assured the formation of a committee to make MSP more effective and transparent, to promote natural farming and to change crop pattern keeping in mind the changing needs of the country," Tomar told the Lok Sabha.

Accordingly, a committee has been constituted consisting of representatives of farmers, central government, state governments, agricultural economists and scientists, etc, he added.

The government on Monday formed a committee on MSP, eight months after it promised to set up such a panel while withdrawing the three contentious farm laws. The panel's terms of reference have no mention of a "legal guarantee of MSP".

Farmer unions' body SKM has rejected the government's committee on MSP, saying "so-called farmer leaders" who supported the now-repealed farm laws are its members and does not talk about ensuring the legal rights of farmers.