Tens of thousands of Indian farmers marching towards New Delhi in a fight to force the government to set guaranteed minimum prices for crop production have hit pause after agreeing to return to the negotiating table on Sunday.
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The protest march, dubbed "Delhi Chalo" or "Let's go to Delhi", started on February 13 and has blocked highways with tractors, wagons and small trucks.
It turned violent after security forces and police used steel and concrete barriers to stop the farmers about 200 kilometres from the capital late last week.
Authorities fired tear gas and used drones to drop gas canisters on the mob, suspended mobile internet connectivity and blocked social media accounts operated by protest leaders. Some farmers were also arrested.
Demonstrations were also held in many rural areas in northern states last Friday to support the guarantee minimum price demands, along with a range of other grievances.
India's Agriculture Minister Arjun Munda, speaking about the pause in protests, told a media conference that "we believe we will all find a solution together peacefully."
However, several meetings already held between farm leaders and government ministers have failed to break the deadlock.
The widespread disruptions are a rerun of the year-long farmer protests that began in 2021 and led to a government back down over proposed laws to deregulate agricultural markets and so far undelivered promises to extend the nation's system of guaranteed minimum support payments (MSP).
WHAT IS AT THE HEART OF THE PROTESTS
Farmers are demanding legislation that would guarantee an MSP for for all farm produce.
The MSP model has been in place in India since the 1960's when it was put in place to protect producers of essential crops, like rice and wheat, from sharp falls in farm prices. The intention was to shore up food reserves and prevent nationwide shortages.
Farmers currently protesting are mainly from two states and are demanding legislation be introduced that would extend the MSP to cover dozens more commercial produce and crops.
It is a pressing issue now as many farmers seeking the protection of MSP overproduced the crops.
However, as most MSP crops are water-guzzling they have "depleted" the water table in the two states and forced farmers to look for other alternatives.
Farmers argue that, because of the absence of an MSP, they do not receive a fair price for those alternatives and need a guarantee to stave off rising debts.
The situation is compounded by a recurring theme impacting agriculture internationally of increasing cultivation and input costs.
The protests follow an unlikely victory for protesting producers in Europe this year after the European Commission announced it would scrap controversial plans to force a dramatic reduction in agricultural emissions.
As in the EU, the current protests in India are taking place just months before national elections where Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to secure a third term.
However, he would be mindful that farmers are one of the country's most influential voting blocs and he is facing accusations from the agriculture lobby that he did not follow through on promises two years ago to extend the system of guaranteed minimum prices.
In 2021, farmers camped outside New Delhi for more than a year and only picked up sticks after Mr Modi said he would repeal three controversial farm laws and push for benchmark pricing ahead of crucial state elections.
Farmers have also pressed the government to "follow through on promises to double their income, waive their loans and withdraw legal cases brought against them during the 2021 protests."
With Associated Press and Reuters
