Farmers' Desperation Raises Questions on Government Farm Policies in Madhya Pradesh

In Madhya Pradesh, farmer Kamlesh Patidar destroyed his soybean crop due to low market prices, sparking criticism of the BJP government’s agricultural policies from the Congress. The incident has highlighted the struggles faced by many farmers in the region, and raised questions about the minimum selling price promise made by the BJP.

In a distressing turn of events in Madhya Pradesh's Mandsaur district, local farmer Kamlesh Patidar took drastic measures by destroying his soybean crop, citing inadequate market prices. The move has prompted the Congress to scrutinize the farm policies of the state's BJP-led government.

A video circulating on social media shows Patidar, a resident of Devaria village, uprooting his standing crops with a tractor. Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Jitu Patwari shared the video on social media, tagging Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. Patwari stressed that the incident reflects the broader struggles of countless farming families across the state.

Patidar explained that he had sold 140 quintals of old soybean at Rs 3,800 per quintal, but the projection for new soybean prices to open between Rs 3,500 and Rs 3,800 per quintal indicated potential losses for farmers. He revealed that input costs were mounting, leading him to destroy crops on a substantial portion of his land. BJP spokesman Pankaj Chaturvedi defended the government's agricultural policies, noting improvements and financial disbursements aimed at farmer welfare.

(With inputs from agencies.)