Demanding six-point reforms to ensure fair prices for farmers' produce, Sukanta Barman, a student of the 50th batch of the Institute of Information Technology (IIT) at Jahangirnagar University (JU), has been staging a sit-in program for ten consecutive days.
According to sources, Sukanta began the program on May 24, and continued until Monday, staging a one-hour protest each day in front of the university’s Shaheed Minar.
He announced that he would resume the sit-in after the university reopens if his demands are not met.
Earlier on Sunday, at the Shaheed Minar premises, Sukanta held a silent protest with placards reading: "Save the farmers, save the country," "If fair prices are not ensured, farmers will die under debt and despair," "Ensure fair prices for farmers in North Bengal," and "We demand fair prices, we demand an end to injustice."
Several students from different departments of the university also joined him in solidarity with his demands.
His six-point charter of demands is as follows:
- Formulate a pricing policy to determine a minimum support price for every agricultural product, based on production costs and fair profit margins. Impose a tax of Tk0.50 per kilogram on agricultural goods, allocating 25% of the tax revenue to national development, 25% as subsidies for agricultural workers, and 50% for the welfare of farmers.
- In districts that produce more than 15 lakh tons of crops annually, establish cold storage facilities and agro-processing factories for perishable goods. Ensure a bribe-free and illegal toll-free transport system for agricultural produce and introduce a dedicated “Agricultural Rail.” Also, ensure subsidized prices for both chemical and organic fertilizers.
- Organize annual agricultural fairs in each district, arranged by the district administration, in honor of farmers. Display banners and posters showing the types and quantities of crops produced in each district annually, the monetary value added to the GDP, and the farmers’ contributions to the national economy. Ensure that farmers can receive government services, such as passport issuance and land office support, at official rates through coordination at these fairs.
- Like government salaries, agricultural subsidies must be disbursed through fully automated, bank account-based systems.
- Recognize the work of female agricultural laborers and arrange training and overseas employment opportunities for them in countries like Italy, which accept agricultural workers.
- Implement a mega agriculture project in North Bengal to prevent farmers from having to buy seeds from Brac or other sources at inflated prices. Activate agricultural cooperative societies under the supervision of Upazila agriculture offices. Eliminate all syndicates in the agricultural product supply chain to ensure a fair balance between farmers and consumers.
Sajib Ahmed Janich, an organizer of the Socialist Students' Front, JU unit, who joined the sit-in in solidarity, said: "A reform commission was essential to address the ongoing crisis in agriculture, but the interim government has failed to establish it. They have been a complete failure in this regard."
Speaking to Dhaka Tribune, Sukanta said: “I am the son of a farmer. This year, my father cultivated potatoes on 3 bighas and 10 kathas of land. The production cost exceeded Tk280,000, with a loss of Tk45,000 per bigha. This is the reality of every farming family. Each household is drowning in debt due to low crop prices. The production cost of potatoes was Tk20 per kg, but farmers had to sell them at Tk7 to 10 per kg.”
He further said: “After potatoes, we cultivated pumpkins. Traders bought pumpkins from farmers at Tk4 to 5 per kg, while in the market the price is Tk30 to 35 per kg. Farmers suffer losses again. It’s as if, while farmers toil under the scorching sun and rain to produce crops and earn Tk100 crore, traders reap Tk500 to 600 crore. How can farmers survive like this? That’s why it is crucial to introduce a policy ensuring that farmers receive a price higher than the production cost for their produce.”
