Farmer First

The BJP's national executive has passed an agriculture resolution that hails the Narendra Modi government's efforts to double farmers' income. It has listed out every agriculture related initiative the government has pursued - including renamed schemes from the previous regime, tweaked ones, and new ones - to buttress its claim. Declaration of a minimum support price (MSP) that is 50 per cent higher than the cost of crop production tops the list.

The national e-mandi is another. While all of these efforts are good, the fact remains that they are yet to be fully implemented or effectively implemented for nationwide impact. Ensuring promised MSP to each individual farmer is in itself a Herculean task. Even BJP ruled states like Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat are not without their share of farmer distress. Convincing the party rank and file may be easy, but the real test lies in convincing the farmer.

Joe C Mathew