All you need to know about the agrarian distress and why BJP needs to resolve it

BJP lost Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, which have, respectively, rural population share of 72.3%, 76.8% and 75%. It’s not that the BJP governments in the states and the Centre hadn’t done anything for farmers and rural workers. But data shows there’s something they haven’t been able to do: raise rural incomes. Wages in the countryside are depressed and income from crops insufficient. ET analyses BJP’s kisan question.

3. And farm price realisation has been inconsistent at best

A. Budget scheme to ensure farmers are paid MSP 1.5 times the production cost failed to enthuse farmers (who say it’s against what Dr MS Swaminathan recommended)
B. A report by ‘Down to Earth’ says farmers in two MP regions decided to stay away from the Bhavantar Bhugtan Yojana (BBY), the much-publicised scheme to compensate farmers for the price difference where the market price is less than MSP
C. Talk of farmer suicides takes centre stage at all rural events
D. Many crops are still not covered by MSP, and the scheme has been patchy at best in getting farmers reasonable incomes consistently
E. Even now, fi nal prices received by farmers are much lower than what middlemen make

Conclusion: Even at this level of broad data, it’s clear BJP has a kisan question to solve, with 2019 general elections only a few months away

What Chouhan Did For Farmers
*Launched Bhavantar Bhugtan Yojana after the state failed to stop middlemen and corrupt offi cials from making a fast buck during govt purchase of onions last year

*Chouhan announced Rs 200/quintal bonus on wheat when procured by govt (MP paid Rs 150/quintal bonus till 2014 until the Centre stopped it)

*MP paid rent for warehouse storage of wheat by farmers who didn’t want to sell their produce immediately

What Worked Against Him
*10,000 farmer suicides in past 10 years

*Police firing on protesting farmers in Mandsaur MP had the sharpest increase in crimes against SC/STs in last one year

*Farmers migrating to other states in search of work