‘Attitude Of Revenge’: Farmers’ Unions Disappointed With Govt’s Budget

Reacting to the announcements for the agriculture sector in the Union Budget 2022 presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman yesterday, farmers’ unions expressed disappointment with the budget on the grounds that it did not offer support to crops other than rice and wheat, and that it cut back on fertilizer subsidies and did not prioritize the issue agricultural expenditure for farmers.

The promise of doubling farmers’ income by 2022, which was a major part of the BJP’s rhetoric during elections, has found no mention in the Budget, which has also led to frustration.

The Sankyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) told media that: “These figures are a serious reduction compared to 2020-21, when 1,286 lakh metric tonnes were procured from 197 lakh farmers, and ₹2.48 lakh crores were paid to the farmers. The number of benefited farmers in 2021-22 has fallen by 17% and the quantity procured has fallen by 7% from 2020-21”.

Rakesh Tikait, a prominent face of the farmers’ agitation and the leader of a faction of Bharitya Kisan Union (BKU), said that the Budget signals an “attitude of revenge” by the government since the farmers’ protest eventually led to it walking back on its three controversial farming laws. He said: “It [the government] has failed to deliver on its promise to double farm incomes by this year”.

The reduction in budget of the PM-ASHA scheme from ₹400 crore to ₹1 crore, failure to raise payments under PM-KISAN scheme, and low distribution from the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund are also among the grievances.