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Police set up roadblocks around the capital New Delhi
Photo: Rajat Gupta / EPA
India's farmers are preparing for mass protests: On Monday, long tractor convoys drove up to the borders of the state of Haryana with the capital New Delhi. Police set up roadblocks around the metropolis and banned public gatherings. Farmers have called for a “March on Delhi” – a reference to massive demonstrations three years ago.
In 2021, protesting farmers broke through police barricades to get to the capital New Delhi on the national holiday, Republic Day on January 26th. At that time, the protest movement was directed against the planned liberalization of the markets for agricultural products. This time it's about the pricing of the goods.
"Farmers from across the country are ready to march on Delhi from Tuesday if the government does not meet our demands," said Swaran Singh Pandher, head of a national farmers' association. The industry is demanding, among other things, a minimum price for its crops, better pensions and haircuts.
Wave of protests triggered serious government crisis
In India, the agricultural sector has great political weight. Around two thirds of the population of 1.4 billion people live from agriculture, which accounts for almost a fifth of economic output. The last wave of protests by farmers began in 2020 and lasted for a year. It triggered the biggest government crisis to date for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has been in power since 2014.
Tens of thousands of farmers had held out in protest camps, some for months, and more than 700 people died in clashes with security forces. In November 2021, Modi finally overturned the market reform that farmers had criticized.
In January, large farmers' protests also paralyzed parts of Germany. In this country, the demonstrations were primarily directed against two originally planned subsidy cuts. But farmers also made their voices heard in other parts of the EU with various actions, including in France, Portugal and Greece.
bam/AFP