THE All India Agricultural Workers Union, in a statement issued on January 30, has called on the finance minister to ensure that at least 5 per cent of the GDP is spent on agriculture, which has gone down sharply in growth since last year. Also there is a situation where farmers are ploughing back potatoes into their fields, throwing tomatoes on to the roads and in general failing to get the prices demanded under the Swaminathan formula for minimum support price which the present government had promised to implement in its election manifesto.

THE All India Agricultural Workers Union (AIAWU), in a statement issued on December 27, has said that it is deeply disturbed by the government of India’s presentation of the amendment to the The Indian Forest Act, 1927 before the parliament on December 27, which has removed the bamboo plant from the status of a tree after 90 years.

AFTER the successful historic rally of farmers on November 20, the All India Sugarcane Farmers Coordination Committee met at Kisan Sabha central office in New Delhi in the evening on November 20, and took stock of the situation of sugarcane farmers in different cane growing states. Representatives of Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana participated in the meeting.

THE All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS), in a statement issued on November 14, has expressed deep shock and strongly condemned the killing of yet another farmer, Ummar Khan, by cow vigilantes in Alwar, Rajasthan. He and two other farmers, Tahir Khan and Javed Khan had purchased cows in a village near Jaipur. When they were returning after buying the cattle, after passing Ramgad, they were attacked in a village called Gahankar. Six or seven vigilante goons who came in a white Tata Sumo car, attacked them and started firing at them.

THE General Council of the All India Agricultural Workers Union (AIAWU) met in New Delhi on November 4-5. The meeting was attended by 67 members from 14 states. It was presided over by AIAWU president S Thirunavukkarasu. Placing a report, AIAWU general secretary A Vijayaraghavan said the period since the last General Council meeting in Telangana in September, 2016, has seen growing attacks on the rural landless, agricultural workers and rural labourers, leading to suicides and hunger deaths.