“Most things, except agriculture, can wait,” Jawaharlal Nehru once said, underlining the pivotal role farming plays in the country’s growth. From the fertile plains of Punjab to the rain-soaked fields of Kerala, agriculture isn’t just an industry—it’s the lifeblood of a nation. In the Nehruvian years, farming was a high-priority sector. This continued well into the 1980s and even into the reform years of the 1990s, despite the rapid growth in urbanisation and neoliberal policies.
For over 60 crore Indians, who directly or indirectly depend upon agriculture, farming is oxygen. It contributes 15 per cent to the nation’s GDP, a number that was over 35 per cent just two decades ago. The Green Revolution, a pivotal moment, had transformed India from a food-deficient nation to one brimming with self-sufficiency. The feat, a testament to the Indian farmer’s spirit, secured not just bellies but national security. The triumph was repeated with milk production. As the second-largest producer of agricultural commodities and a key exporter to over 200 countries, India’s farmers also play a crucial role in feeding the world.
But beyond economics, the influence of farmers extends into politics, society, and culture.
A staggering 70 per cent of voters come from rural homes, making farmers an electoral force to reckon with. Chaudhury Charan Singh, often described as the “Champion of India’s peasants”, rode to power on the back of land reforms and liberating farmers from moneylenders. The fifth Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh and the fifth PM of India, Charan Singh’s memorial is called Kisan Ghat. It is no coincidence that he has been given the Bharat Ratna in this election year.
Equally, the cultural influence of farming is all pervasive. From Pongal and Lohri to Baisakhi and Bihu, from Ka Pomblang Nongkrem to Gudi Padwa and Onam, harvest drives festivals across India. It carves out unique culinary identities born from diverse crops. Indigenous farming techniques and seed varieties passed down through generations, are more than knowledge—they are the very essence of who we are. Farmers are not just tillers of soil, they are guardians of the country’s cultural heritage.
With farmers on the march again, agriculture is again in the news. As it should be.
In 2021, the farmers’ year-long protest forced the repeal of three controversial agricultural laws. A series of promises were made by the government then. Today, accusing the government of failing to fulfil those promises, farmers have consolidated efforts to make the government listen. They are insisting on a legally guaranteed Minimum Support Price (MSP) for all crops, and not just the few in the MSP basket. They want loan waivers to save them from crippling debts. They want the government to withdraw from WTO and Free Trade agreements, which are loaded against Indian farmers. They want punishment for the guilty in the Lakhimpur Kheri massacre that killed many farmers.
There have been talks with the government, but a consensus remains elusive. The government, wary of a repeat of 2021, has doubled down with propaganda, misinformation, and a total barricade of New Delhi. Given the precarity of farming and farmers, given the vulnerability and debt into which neoliberal agri-business policies have pushed them, given the support and subsidies given to farmers in the West vis-a-vis the controls imposed on farmers in the Global South, one would have expected the government to be more supportive of its food producers.
Unfortunately, the government has merely been bellicose. It has met farmers with teargas rather than compassion. On March 15, the farmers propose to march to Delhi again. Whether the protest will snowball into a larger movement or whether it will peter out or be snuffed out remains to be seen. But one thing it does is serve a stark reminder of the urgent need for reforms in agriculture.
“The farmer has to be an optimist, or he wouldn’t still be a farmer,” said American humorist Will Rogers in the early 1900s. This could not be truer of the Indian kisan.
Frontline’s latest issue examines the farming crisis from various angles, including contextualising it within the larger global crisis of neoliberalism and neocolonialism. Most importantly, Yogendra Yadav and his colleagues bust some popular myths around the MSP and draft a workable MSP formula. This is a must read for those of you who have not understood or misunderstood or underplayed the reasons why farmers are protesting today. We also have a brilliant ground report by Anando Bhakto, who was in Khanauri and Shambu, talking to the protesting farmers there. He shares their moving and angry stories with us. Read both articles. Join the debate.
And, as always, write back with your comments,
For Team Frontline,
Jinoy Jose P.
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