He said farmers’ leaders raised  various concerns in the meeting, prompting some out-of-the-box  thinking. “They pointed to the  rising desertification in Punjab due to water sources drying up, leading to a discussion on diversification. We discussed how the cultivation of pulses could reduce imports, conserve water in Punjab, and boost farmers’ income,” said Goyal.

He said the farmers  in Punjab  expressed interest in growing maize but raised concerns about potential losses if prices fall below MSP. “We proposed a  solution involving cooperative societies like NAFED entering into five-year contracts with farmers, ensuring purchases at MSP without quantity limitations. This approach would also conserve Punjab’s water resources and safeguard its soil.”

He said similarly the Cotton Corporation of India could also buy their cotton  at MSP.

BKU leaders Jagjeet Singh Dalewal, Sarwan Singh Pandher and others address to media after meeting with Union Ministers at Chandigarh. (Express photo by Jasbir Malhi)

Goyal said the farmers decision on these proposals tomorrow would pave  the way for further action.

He added that several  policy matters discussed at the meeting needed broader representation and cannot be finalised with a few representatives. “Given the upcoming elections, these policy discussions will be  addressed in due course,” he added.

Punjab Chief Minister Mann supported the pitch for diversification, saying that on February 8,  he had told  the media that our country imported pulses worth 2 billion dollars from Columbia and Mozambique. “I had mentioned that if they could assure us MSP on pulses, we could cultivate them. It would be  a historical moment, quite like the  green revolution, which was ushered when  the US declined to supply wheat to us. Our farmers are capable of growing maize and other crops but diversification is feasible only if we are assured of an MSP.”

The CM  said he made it clear that the  farmers should reap profits similar to paddy cultivation; otherwise, they might revert to growing paddy. “The ministers addressed this  concern by saying that Government agencies like NAFED and CCI can purchase farmers’ produce. If a mechanism is established, enabling the cultivation of 6-7 more crops in the state, this proposal could materialise.”

Union Minister Piyush Goyal, Arjun Munda and Nityanand Rai address to media after meeting with BKU lesders at Chandigarh. (Express photo by Jasbir Malhi)

Now, the ball is in the farmers’ court, the CM said. He added, “There is a forecast of hailstorm tomorrow. We’ve already lost two farmers. I am determined to prevent any further loss of lives.”

The meeting, which began at 8:15 pm, ended at about 12:40 am.

Besides Goyal, Union Agriculture Minister Arjun Munda, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Punjab Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khuddian met the farmer leaders at the Mahatma Gandhi State Institute of Public Administration (MGSIPA) here.

The farmers were represented by a 14-member delegation which included farmer leaders from Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Karnataka and Delhi. They were led by Sarvan Singh Pandher, coordinator of the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) and general secretary of the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee, and Jagjit Singh Dallewal, president of BKU Ekta (Sidhupur).

Ahead of the meeting, Pandher had said they had “high hopes”, adding that “the ball is in the Centre’s court now”.

The farmers are demanding a law to guarantee minimum support price (MSP) among other issues. On Saturday, KMM leaders had said the government should bring an ordinance to provide MSP guarantee. “If the government wants, it can bring an ordinance overnight. If it wants a resolution to the farmers’ protest, then it should bring an ordinance,” Pandher had said. He had said the government should raise the MSP to at least 50 per cent more than the weighted average cost of production, as suggested by the M S Swaminathan Committee.

According to sources, the different formulae to calculate production cost were discussed at the meeting on Sunday.

The Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) gives three definitions of production costs: A2, A2+FL and C2. A2 costs basically cover all paid-out expenses, both in cash and in kind, incurred by farmers on seeds, fertilisers, chemicals, hired labour, fuel, irrigation, etc. A2+FL cover actual paid-out costs plus an imputed value of unpaid family labour. C2 costs are more comprehensive, accounting for the rentals and interest forgone on owned land and fixed capital assets respectively, on top of A2+FL.

The meeting reportedly began with the union leaders paying tribute to Gyan Singh, 78, a farmer who died after suffering a heart attack while protesting at the Shambhu border on Friday. Even as the meeting was underway, news broke of another farmer’s death. Manjit Singh, 70, the unit president of BKU (Krantikari), fell ill and died at Patiala hospital late Sunday evening. He had left home to participate in the protest at the Khanauri border.

On Sunday, farmer leaders from both Haryana and Punjab extended their support to the “Dilli Chalo” protest which began on February 13. Protesters have been camping at the Punjab-Haryana border — at Shambhu and Khanauri border points — since then.

After a meeting of farmer unions and khaps in Kurukshetra, Haryana BKU (Chaduni) chief Gurnam Singh Chaduni said all organisations in Haryana had come together for the “big battle”.

The Punjab unit of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), the umbrella unit for the farmers’ agitation in 2020-21, decided to picket the houses of the BJP’s state office-bearers, MPs and MLAs from February 20 to 22, regardless of the outcome of Sunday’s meeting.

The ongoing dharnas at three locations by BKU Ugrahan will be temporarily suspended for a day and resumed on February 20.BKU Ugrahan staged a dharna outside the residences of BJP state president Sunil Jakhar in Abohar, Capt Amarinder Singh in Patiala, and Kewal Dhillon in Barnala on Saturday and Sunday.

The farmers also plan to hold dharnas outside the houses of BJP MLA Ashwani Sharma in Pathankot, Union Minister of State Som Parkash in Phagwara, and the party office of Sunny Deol in Gurdaspur, among others.

Raminder Singh Patiala from Kirti Kisan Union, a constituent of the SKM, said they would make toll barriers across the state toll-free on these dates.

On Sunday, Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu also threw his weight behind the farmers’ demands.

Former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said he was in Delhi to hold meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and appeal to them to resolve the farmers’ issue. He said that as per the weather forecast of cold days ahead, the farmers should return home and not spend cold nights at the border.

The Union ministers and farmer leaders have held three rounds of talks — on February 8, 12 and 15 – so far. After the third round, both sides had said the talks were “very positive”. Mann, who has taken on the role of mediator, is learnt to have told the farmers to try to resolve the issue instead of dragging it.

On Sunday, besides Dallewal and Pandher, the 14-member delegation of farmers included Jaswinder Singh Longowal, president of BKU Ekta Azad; Surjit Singh Phul, president of BKU-Krantikari; Amarjeet Singh Mohri, president of BKU-Shaheed Bhagat Singh; Satnam Singh Bargrian, president of Pagri Sambhal Jatta; Abhimanyu Kohar, president of BKU-Naujawan Haryana; Gurdas Singh Lakadwal, president of BKU-Ekta Kalawadi, Haryana; Kurbur Shanta Kumar, president of Karnataka Sugarcane Farmers Association; Maninder Singh Mann, member of Kisa Coordination Committee, Rajasthan; Ramandeep Singh Mann, SKM Delhi; Malkeet Singh, president of Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, Punjab; and Onkar Singh Bhangala, president of Azad Kisan Sangarsh Committee, Doaba.