THE old saying that agriculture is the best occupation and working for others the worst no longer holds true, says Raj Kumar, a farmer from western Uttar Pradesh, where farmers’ agitation seems to be driven more by “stagnant” sugarcane prices and the stray cattle menace, than by the three contentious agri laws. Kumar, a Rawa Rajput from Satheri village in this district, says sugarcane prices have not been raised for the past several seasons, whereas companies have reduced the size of Urea and DAP bags, making manure costlier and agriculture “unsustainable”. “Pehle kehte the, Uttam Kheti -- Beech Vyapar -- Neech Naukri.

 

Ab to sab ulta gaya hai, (We used to say agriculture is the best way to earn a livelihood, followed by trade or business and the worst was to be working for someone else. This wisdom seems to have crumbled),” says Kumar. Muzaffarnagar, a western Uttar Pradesh district, is not very far from Delhi which has seen its three border points turn into tent cities as farmers protesting against the three new Central agricultural laws, which open up the sector for private players, have been camping there for close to three months now. But on the question of farm laws, Kumar says he doesn’t know much about them but he has been supporting the protesting farmers as agriculture has become “unsustainable”.

 

Echoing similar sentiments, Roshan Lal, a Saini by caste and a small-scale farmer, said more than the three farm laws, it is delay in payment for sugarcane and the rising diesel prices, alongwith the problem of stray cattle that have made their lives miserable. “More than farm laws, no hike in cane prices, delay of over a year in payments of sugarcane and the menace of stray cattle have broken our back,” Lal said, standing by Kumar. “All this has forced us to raise their voices for farmers’ issues.” Sohan, a Kashyap by caste from Ganshampura village who owns less than one acre land and uses his crop mostly in his jaggery workshop, says until and unless sugarcane prices are increased the prices of jaggery would also remain stagnant.