<h5>What was the first farmers’ protest about?</h5>  <p>The first farmers’ protest started on 9th August 2020 and lasted until 11 December 2021. Before we get started on what caused the first protest, let’s understand the basics! The law says that farmers have three options to sell their produce: </p>
<p>Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) or mandi: Here, the price of the farmers’ produce is determined by its supply and demand. </p>
<p>Middlemen: Farmers use the price decided by the APMC to negotiate prices here. Middlemen often provide additional services such as cleaning the produce, packing it, etc. and sell the produce to private companies. </p>
<p>Government: Sometimes, the government may buy the farmers’ produce at a minimum support price (MSP). MSP is not for the farmers to make a profit but to avoid losses. 
</p> <h5>So far so good. What changed?</h5>  <p>In 2020, the government allowed farmers to sell their produce to private companies without middlemen. Farmers feared that the government would soon close APMCs. Without the APMC telling the farmers the worth of their produce, they would be unable to negotiate with private companies.</p>
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If the government didn’t buy farmers’ produce at MSP, they would be forced to sell their produce to private companies (even if they were paying lesser than the MSP). This was not agreeable to the farmers. </p>
<p>So farmers protested against this change made by the government. Despite assurances from the government that APMCs would remain open, farmers continued to protest. </p>
<p>Ultimately, the government withdrew the changes. It also promised farmers that it will form a committee to decide the law on MSPs (MSP Committee).
</p> <h5>What are the farmers protesting about now?</h5> <figure>
        <img src="https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/newsahoot.appspot.com/o/farmers-begin-second-protest-in-new-delhi%2Ffarmers-begin-second-protest-in-new-delhi-section1.jpeg?alt=media&token=fe3b3c8a-a338-44b9-9397-de89be5ff2db" alt="What are the farmers protesting about now?" >
        <figcaption>Farmers protesting against the government. Photo by ANI / Twitter.</figcaption>
      </figure> <p>Farmers from several states arrived at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar to protest against many issues. One major issue was unemployment in the country. Another major issue was the guarantee of MSP to farmers. </p>
<p>Recently, the government said that it did not guarantee MSP to the farmers when the first protest ended. Even the MSP Committee has said that it will only work to make MSP “effective and transparent” and not a law. </p>
<p>Another major demand of the farmers is the arrest of Ashish Mishra, son of union minister Ajay Mishra. It is believed that Ashish was sitting in one of the three cars that ran over a group of farmers killing four farmers and a journalist on 3rd October 2021. Although Ashish was arrested, he was later released on bail.
</p> <h5>What is the government's response to the farmers this time?</h5> <figure>
        <img src="https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/newsahoot.appspot.com/o/farmers-begin-second-protest-in-new-delhi%2Ffarmers-begin-second-protest-in-new-delhi-section2.jpeg?alt=media&token=0f34bbb3-e8bd-4bb4-a4f4-09d24d3c8787" alt="What is the government's response to the farmers this time?" >
        <figcaption>Increased security forces in New Delhi. Photo by ANI / Twitter.</figcaption>
      </figure> <p>Aside from detaining several farmers, the Delhi police has increased security in response to the protests. </p>
<p>The MSP Committee has made four sub-groups to address the issues raised by the farmers. It also met the representatives of various farmer groups. </p>
<p>Let’s hope the farmers and the government are able to resolve all issues without a long protest in a calm and peaceful manner. 
</p>

Less than a year after the first farmers' protest ended, thousands of Indian farmers reached New Delhi to protest again. Let's find out why!

Farmers Protest in Delhi Again

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