CNN’s Vedika Sud spent several hours in the Ghazipur camp on the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border, talking to farmers about their fears. She found a group of passionate people who are determined to stay as long as it takes for the laws to be repealed.
Go There asked Sud to answer some of your questions about their campaign.
It appears that the protesters are not wearing masks. How do these farmers deal with the corona virus?
South: I’m glad you asked. Little effort is being made to distance themselves socially at the protest site, where organizers say about 10,000 farmers and their supporters are camping. They work closely in groups in communal kitchens and makeshift shops, and at night they sleep side by side in trucks and tents. We saw several protesters crammed onto tractors, singing and dancing as they drove through the camp. And when leaders deliver their speeches, hundreds of spectators sit cheek by jaw near the platform to listen to them. Surprisingly, we couldn’t see any person with a mask!
I have asked many farmers about this and their answers were alarming and unscientific. Some said they come from villages where there have been no cases, and see no reason to wear a mask. Others scoffed at us for even asking. Many aren’t afraid to catch Covid-19, but a farmer told me he’d rather die from the virus than accept the new farming laws.
Why are farmers worried about the new laws?
south Not all the farmers I spoke to understand the reforms, and many of them fear change. For decades they have been processing and selling their products according to certain guidelines. This massive shift to contracting with private companies and dealing with large companies rather than middlemen can be intimidating.
The Indian government says the new laws will liberalize the agricultural market and reduce the exploitation of farmers. Their income could even double, the government says. However, farmers fear that opening the market to private companies could lead to price falls and lower incomes.
Most of the farmers who protest come from the northern states of Haryana and Punjab in India, where they receive guaranteed prices or a minimum support price (MSP) for certain crops, allowing them to invest in the next crop cycle.
Farmers are concerned that the new laws will mean they will have to sell at prices below the MSP guarantee. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has insisted that the MSP will not be removed, and has accused the opposition of misleading farmers.
Much of the problem is that farmers don’t trust the government.
How will the protests and encampments help farmers meet their demands?
Recently, the government offered to suspend the three agricultural reforms for 18 months, but the offer was turned down by farmers’ unions. They have given the government until October 2 to either repeal the laws or take further action.
The protests have united farmers from North India and their numbers are growing. A farmer told me they were willing to protest until the next general election in 2024, if they have to.
Not all farmers live in North India, but it is worth noting that agriculture is the main source of income for 58% of India’s 1.36 billion residents. That means it is an important voting block.
At some point, fatigue will set in, and so will financial worries as the crucial harvest season approaches.
Farmers’ unions and opposition leaders say at least 147 farmers have so far died from suicide, accidents and exposure to cold weather. Central and national authorities have not confirmed the death toll.
The farmers say they don’t want to leave the loss of life for nothing.
But the government has made it clear that it will not repeal the laws.
How is the US affected by this political issue?
South: Biden’s government is not directly affected by the farmers’ protests. However, the US Embassy in New Delhi issued a statement after the Indian government temporarily suspended internet access at the protest sites in January.
In its statement, the US Embassy said “the Internet is fundamental to freedom of expression and a hallmark of free speech”. It also urged the government and farmers’ unions to keep talking to solve the problem.
In December, some US lawmakers wrote to then Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in support of the protesters. The letter stated that the issue was of concern to many Indian Americans associated with Punjab and other Indian states.
Many Indian Americans from Punjab’s Sikh community who have settled in the US have families and friends in India participating in or supporting the protest.
But the Indian government has made it abundantly clear that any international interference is not welcome.
“Some of these vested interest groups have also sought to mobilize international support against India.”