Medha Patkar on farmers’ protest

Despite being deeply indebted, exploited by buyers, highly vulnerable to vagaries of weather and with ever shrinking farm holdings, Indian farmers are nowhere near ready to bow down to the government. The ongoing protests by thousands of farmers in and around Delhi as well as other parts of India are part of a bigger battle between the small and marginal farmers and the large corporates that are eyeing the Indian food market. It is a battle to the finish, they say. Medha Patkar, social activist and founder of Narmada Bachao Andolan tells Media India Group that corporatization is taking a toll not just on the farming community but every other sector in the country and the farmers can be protected only if they fight and win against inequity and injustice.