Farmers protesting in Delhi seek loan waivers, payment of sugarcane dues, fuel price cuts: A look at their demands

Thousands of farmers on Tuesday marched towards Delhi , with demands ranging from farm loan waivers to a reduction in fuel prices. Police from Delhi and Uttar Pradesh stopped them from entering the city at the border between the two regions. Farmers from various parts of Uttar Pradesh joined the Kisan Kranti Yatra, which began from Tikait Ghat in Haridwar on 23 September. They came in from places as far as Gonda, Basti and Gorakhpur in eastern Uttar Pradesh and the sugarcane belt of western Uttar Pradesh. The farmers travelled on foot, in buses and tractor trolleys. Traffic movement on arterial roads leading to Delhi was blocked as national highways leading to the city were swamped with the protesters. The farmers broke barricades of the Uttar Pradesh Police and then began to proceed towards the barricades put up by the Delhi Police, a senior police officer said. [caption id=“attachment_5300991” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Police use water cannons to disperse farmers protesting at Delhi-UP border. PTI[/caption] Harmik Singh, a farmer who came from Meerut, told PTI that the farmers are in distress because of high electricity prices and fuel rates shooting through the roof. Home Minister Rajnath Singh met the farmers’ leaders and discussed their demands. They have reached an agreement on the majority of the issues. Reports said the Centre had agreed to seven of the nine demands put forth by the farmers. What are the farmers’ demands? Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) national spokesperson Rakesh Tikait said: “We organised the march to press for the implementation of the Swaminathan Commission’s recommendations, loan waivers and scrapping of the ban on plying tractors 10 years old and older in the National Capital Region, among others.” The BKU has a comprehensive list of demands for the government, which includes unconditional loan waivers for farmers, clearing of dues by sugar mills, higher prices for crops, free electricity for farms and a cut in diesel prices. Swaminathan Commission: The MS Swaminathan Committee , in its five different reports, recommended reimbursing farmers with over 50 percent of crop input price, among other suggestions. The commission also suggested the use of rainwater harvesting and water-level recharging by mandatory aquifers. Payment of sugarcane dues: Pending sugarcane dues continues to remain a cause of concern for farmers. In the 2017-18 agricultural year, India produced 32 million tonnes of sugar, while the demand was for only 25 million tonnes, leading to a crash in the prices of sugar, according to The Indian Express. As a result, farmers have not been able to clear their dues. Loan waiver: Farmers have also demanded a complete waiver of their loans. According to Business Standard, 82 percent of all indebted agricultural households are those that own less than two hectares. In March, thousands of farmers had thronged the streets of Mumbai  demanding an unconditional loan waiver scheme. Harmik said, “We are not seeking any alms from the government. We want our right.” Diesel prices: The rise in petroleum and diesel prices over the past few months has reduced the profit margin of farmers, The Indian Express reported. A hike in electricity tariffs in Uttar Pradesh is another concern that the farmers have put forth. Follow LIVE updates on the Kisan Kranti Yatra here