India: BKU farmers mobilize across UP districts

Bku farmers carried out several direct actions on Dec 27th 2010 all across UP in districts like Muzzafarnagar, Pratapgarh, Saharanpur, Meerat, Bijnaur, Tiloi, Moradabad and many others.

In some places farmers locked up government offices, in another a highway was blocked and in another yet scores of farmers arrived in bullock carts full of paddy for sale protesting corruption in purchase of produce.

Memorandums were submitted to the Prime minister, chief ministers and local government officials with demands ranging from reduced fertilizer prices and supply, free electricity, reduced prices for farm implemens, compensation to flood affected farmers, farmers insurance, higher compensation prices for land acquisition, an end to rising oil prices, corruption of governemnt officials as well as the regular demand of implementing Swaminathan commissions reccomendation of providing a scientifically calculated MSP along with 50% profit above that.

BKU farmers also met the Chief minister in Lucknow recently and discussed the impending Seed Bill as well as the Land Acquisition Bill thereafter submitting their demadns on the seed bill and getting an assurance from the UP government that it would write to the center to support the farmers demands  – including regulating corporate seed prices in the seed bill.

For more information please visit the BKU blog at: http://bhartiyakisanunion.blogspot.com/

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