Divided by borders, united by hope: Why European, Indian farmers are protesting

It seems the world is witnessing a season of farm unrest, as the farmers from Europe to India are on a warpath, seeking remunerative prices for their agricultural produce and redressal of a slew of other farm-related grievances.

Even as farmers in European countries are lamenting that cheap imports from Ukraine are undercutting local produce, the farmers in India are seeking a legal guarantee for the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for their agricultural produce.

While massive protests were seen in France, farmers are out on the streets in a host of countries including Italy, Spain, Romania, Poland, Greece, Germany, Portugal, and the Netherlands. They have a long list of complaints like increasing input costs, declining prices of their produce, environmental regulations and excessive red tape.

Seeds of discontent

Farmers across the European countries also complain that the costs of energy, fertilizer, and transport have gone up, particularly in view of Russia’s war in Ukraine. As if it wasn’t enough, the governments have been trying to reduce rising food prices amid inflation.

As per the Eurostat data, the prices farmers get for their agricultural products peaked in 2022 but has been declining since then, dropping nearly 9% on average between the third quarter of 2022 and the same period in 2023. “We are no longer making a living from our profession,” an aggrieved farmer in Paris told CNN.

Another factor due to which discontent in brewing in the farming community is cheap foreign imports, which farmers contend lead to unfair competition. Farmers, particularly in Eastern Europe, continue to air concerns over the cheap agricultural imports from Ukraine, including grain, sugar, and meat. The EU has also waived quotas and duties on Ukrainian imports in light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“We’re subject to enormous constraints and there are products coming in from outside Europe, that compete with us without having to apply the same rules that we’re obliged to in order to produce,” Emmanuel Mathé, a farmer told CNN.

Tax break

In France, a government plan to phase out a tax break for farmers on diesel, as part of a wider energy transition policy, has also sparked anger.

In Greece, farmers have put forth demands for lower electricity prices, tax-free diesel, and subsidised animal feed, as well as changes in EU environment rules.

Many of the protesting farmers also voiced protest against the EU's Green Deal, aimed at bringing down greenhouse gas emissions. Farmers have complained that curtailing the use of pesticides will harm their crops and jeopardise food production.

Climate change is also aggravating the situation in different ways. Extreme weather events such as wildfires and droughts are increasingly affecting production.

March to Delhi

Back home, farmer organisations have given a call for ‘Delhi Chalo’ march on February 13, demanding enactment of a law to guarantee Minimum Support Price (MSP) for crops. Their other demands include implementation of the Swaminathan Commission’s recommendations, pension for farmers and farm labourers, farm debt waiver, withdrawal of police cases against the farmers, and “justice” for victims of the Lakhimpur Kheri violence.

They claim that the Centre had committed to give legal guarantee to MSP when the farmers protested against the three now-repealed farm laws but the government is not fulfilling its promise because of pressure from the corporate sector. “While the government announces MSP for 23 farm produces before the rabi and kharif seasons, actual procurement is limited to two key crops — paddy and wheat — in specific regions, namely Punjab, Haryana, and parts of Western UP,” they rued.

Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal claimed more than 200 farmers’ unions from across the country will participate in the ‘Delhi Chalo’ march. These unions are part of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha.

Funding campaigns

Anticipating a prolonged struggle, akin to the previous one, farmer organisations are mobilizing resources by collecting ration and funds through door-to-door campaigns. They are stockpiling supplies for six months, forming village teams, and organising tractor marches to garner support for the impending protest.

Additionally, farmers plan to utilise tractors to transport essential items such as gas stoves, cylinders, utensils, mattresses, clothes, and tarpaulin. Villagers are urged to send at least one representative from each household for the march.

The SKM also plans to observe a bandh on February 16 in coordination with trade unions, industrial unions, bank employee unions, transport employees, government employee associations, and various other groups.

Govt initiates talks

Ahead of the ‘Delhi Chalo’ march, the Centre has reportedly invited farmer leaders for a meeting to discuss their demands.

Farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher told the media on Saturday (February 10) that three Union ministers – Piyush Goyal, Arjun Munda and Nityanand Rai – will arrive in Chandigarh on February 12 to hold talks with a deputation of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha. The meeting will be held at the Mahatma Gandhi State Institute of Public Administration in Sector 26 in Chandigarh, a day before the farmers' proposed 'Delhi Chalo' march.

The first meeting with the three Union ministers was held on February 8 in which a detailed discussion was held with the leaders of farmer organisations that planned the 'Delhi Chalo' march to press for their demands, including a law to guarantee MSP for crops, was held.

After the meeting, the farmer leaders said the central ministers had assured them that they would hold a second round of the meeting soon.

Quelling protests

Meanwhile, in Europe, the farmers won a compromise in the EU on January 31, when a delay was announced to rules that would have required them to set aside land to encourage soil health and biodiversity.

The European Commission also said it would extend the suspension of import duties on Ukrainian exports for another year to June 2025.

At the government level, Berlin has partially backtracked on its plans to cut diesel subsidies last month. Similarly, Greece announced that it would extend a special tax rebate on agricultural diesel by one year.

France also came out with a series of measures for farmers in wake of the protests. Newly appointed French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal pledged to safeguard “food sovereignty” and said that France would increase checks on food imports “that don’t respect our rules at a European and French level,” in an effort to protect farmers from unfair competition.

Attal also announced the allocation of 150 million euros ($162 million) to livestock farmers “in tax and social support, starting this year and continuing on a permanent basis.”