Farmers end year-long protest

Indian farmers who have been staging a year-long protest in New Delhi announced on Thursday that they are ending their demonstrations after the government U-turned on controversial farm legislation.

Announcing the decision, Balbir Singh Rajewal, a senior farm union leader, stated that the group has “received a letter from the government” in which they “conceded to our requests.”

Among the successes claimed by the farmers are an assurance from the government to guarantee prices for all produce, and confirmation that all legal action against the protesters will be dropped.

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This follows a government climbdown last month over three agriculture laws that originally sparked the protests. The bills, which sought to deregulate the agricultural industry and open up markets, were opposed by farmers who claimed it would leave them at the mercy of large corporations on the pricing of their produce.

Despite ending their long-running protests in India’s capital, the farmers warned that they will review the progress the government has made on its assurances on January 15.

Threatening potential future action, Gurnam Singh Charuni, another farm union leader, stated “we will resume our protests if the government moves away from the assurance.”

The government will now establish a panel of farmers and officials to ensure Minimum Support Prices (MSPs), otherwise known as guaranteed rates, are established for all produce, according to the letter, Reuters reported. Currently, the only items covered by MSPs are rice and wheat.