The silent architects behind compelling stories

Regional reporters are indispensable to all English language journalists

is Visting Professor, Institute for Human Development, New Delhi, and former Professor and head, Economics Department, Punjabi University, Patiala is former Union Agriculture Secretary and adviser of FICCI

AOn February 13, groups of farmers began a march to New Delhi, to press for fulfilment of their demands, which include a legal guarantee for purchasing crops at Minimum Support Price (MSP) and India’s withdrawal from the World Trade Organization (WTO) which, they allege, places pressure on the Centre for drafting policies for procurement and MSP. While the Centre has fixed MSP for 23 farm commodities, it is implemented mostly for rice and wheat mainly because India has vast storage facilities for these grains and uses the produce for its public distribution system (PDS). The Union government has repeatedly asserted that a legal guarantee for MSP will not be possible. Should MSP be legalised? Siraj Hussain and Lakhwinder Singh discuss the question in a conversation moderated by Edited excerpts:

Are the protests for a legalised MSP justified?

Lakhwinder Singh:

These protests have been building up over time. In 2018 too, we saw tens of thousands of farmers from Maharashtra take to the streets. But their demands are perhaps not being listened to seriously, whether by State governments or the Central government.

There is a context to this. India introduced economic reforms in 1991 with a promise that we will soon become industrialised and the rural workforce will move from the agricultural to the industrial sector. More than 30 years later, agriculture has been squeezed in many ways but no one is talking about this agricultural crisis.

One of the most important demands of the farmers protesting this time is a legal guarantee for MSP. The public distribution system (PDS) gave support to farmers and ensured national food security. Now, India is expected to shift from food security to nutrition security. A legal guarantee for MSP for 23 crops is perhaps the way to do this. The farmers also want India to exit the WTO. We are in a phase of deglobalisation. When we have food shortages, for instance, the government imposes a ban on exports of food items (in defiance of the WTO). In a way, the demand of the farmers is in consonance with what the government does.

Siraj Hussain:

The farmers are rightly concerned about the low prices of various crops. But their demands will not be accepted by any government in a hurry. We need a detailed, thorough review of agricultural trade policies and production and also what will happen to agriculture in the next 2025 years.

After the 202021 protests, the government took seven months to set up a committee to look into this issue of MSP. More than a year and a half later, the committee has not even submitted

NOTEBOOK

s a journalist covering Maharashtra, I often travel across the State. These assignments involve more than just researching and packing a bag. The first step is to contact the local police, activists, academics, and journalists from other organisations. Speaking to various people provides reporters with context to the issue being covered, different perspectives, and, critically, nuance.

In this process, I have encountered many people who I consider the silent architects behind the most compelling stories. They are regional journalists. I try to meet many of them in person, but most of our interactions have largely been over the phone. These journalists have an indepth understanding of the local landscape and have connections in every nook and corner. They remain behind the scenes and rarely seek recognition. They offer invaluable guidance and insights and don’t expect to be quoted or mentioned in the final piece. They help simply because they share the reporter’s goal of shining a torch on truths that might otherwise remain obscured.

Recently, I interacted with Bhagwat Taware, a regional journalist from Beed, and Kailash Tawar, an insurance agent and farmer from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, where I went to report on farmer suicides. They had taken time off their routine work to help me comprehend the issue and engage with more people. They travelled with me in their respective districts.

It is not just reporters from the metros and from English language publications who seek their assistance; foreign journalists rely heavily on them too. They are the sources we cannot do without. They even take pride in seeing their contributions acknowledged indirectly when the journalists who report the story that they helped unearth receive awards.

Beyond their role as information pro

Farmers carry paddy saplings in Nadia, West Bengal. viders, these people also extend hospitality. They treat us as guests.

“Recognition isn’t what I’m seeking. What’s important to us is that you’ve travelled all the way from Mumbai to shed light on the struggles that the people here face. Your report will be read by people in Delhi who will know that their government here obscures data,” Mr. Taware explained to me on our way to a village.

At times, I feel that they take my reporting more seriously than even I do. During our interactions with the families of farmers who had passed away in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Mr. Tawar, having grasped my interviewing style, initiated the conversation himself and prepared the interviewees for the camera. He even asked me to interview one farmer’s family, which was not scheduled, saying, “They have an interesting story to tell”.

In February last year, when I visited Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu to report on how a woman and her family were left shattered by the gruesome killing of a nineyearold tribal boy in a case of human sacrifice, Krunal Tailor, a local journalist who had covered the case extensively, accompanied me to the victim’s family’s house and even played the role of translator.

It is not always journalists who help in such ways. Local taxi drivers are essential allies during these assignments. Their knowledge of the region, understanding of the local culture, and adept navigation skills make them indispensable companions. While they may not be wielding pens or cameras, their contributions are often seen in the stories I tell.

To write stories, reporters need to form connections, understand realities, and find voices that deserve to be heard. Journalism is not a solitary endeavour; it is a collaborative exercise in which many people play a vital role and deserve to be acknowledged and appreciated. an interim report.

Should MSP on all these crops be legalised? And will MSP survive without public procurement?

SH: The mandi system in the form of APMCs (agricultural produce market committees) is functional only in a few States. In most others, it is not functional. Less than onethird of the crop production in India is traded through mandis; the rest is sold by marginal farmers to village traders. So, even if MSP becomes legalised, it will be difficult to implement it because there is no record of who is buying and selling and at what rate. The government cannot be buying all the 23 crops – even for wheat and rice it faces lot of difficulties in procurement.

LS:

Legalisation of MSP is in national interest. A large number of farmers sell commodities in informal markets. The government wants to make transactions digital and formal, so this is in consonance with the government’s aim. Also, the gross fixed capital formation in the agricultural sector after the 1991 reforms has gone down tremendously. Farmers are in distress. Legalising MSP is the answer. Let me add that the government is not expected to buy all the 23 crops. But if at least 510% of the produce is purchased, it would be a marginal intervention and stabilise the prices.

Is it possible to extend the MSP system to the entire country, especially for subsistence farmers, as the government claims? SH:

Yes. Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Odisha have shown that the procurement system can be expanded. Even in Bihar, West Bengal, and Tamil Nadu, procurement of rice has increased over the last few years. But that is not the question. The question is whether the government should be procuring so much. It has been procuring 5060 million tonnes of rice. Is that a good policy regime? The root cause is PDS and now the government has made it free. That means that the government will continue to procure large quantities of wheat and rice.

Another concern is that legalised MSP will result in high prices affecting the consumers.

SH:

I do not think it is possible for any government to procure all the commodities. It is not possible for the government to fix an MSP for everything. The basic question is how to ensure a remunerative price to farmers. My view is that it should be a State by State policy. Every State has a different regime. In Punjab, for instance, a price payment deficiency system is possible because the mandi system is well developed and the distance between two mandis is only 6 km, whereas at the allIndia level it is 12 km. The States and the Centre should be talking to one another. Experts have to come up with a policy which will ensure that farmers receive a fair and remunerative price.

Another question which you should be asking macroeconomists is on food inflation. The government must also look after the interests of consumers. They have to try and balance the policies of import, export, and domestic MSP.

LS:

When the government is not interested in legalising MSP and intellectuals are not interested in discussing these issues, fear is created among consumers that they are going to be fleeced. And a binary is created of farmers and consumers. The government is an intermediary, which has to protect the rights of both consumers and producers.

The most striking issue is food inflation. The local prices at which farmers are selling their produce are very low and do not cover the major costs involved (in production). On the other hand, consumers are facing huge price rise. Legalising MSP will reduce inflation, protect consumers, and give a relatively reasonable income to the farmers.

Also, regulating markets is important. The government has withdrawn from the regulatory mechanism and therefore in unorganised markets, intermediaries are active and creating inflationary pressures on the economy.