Distress Deepens On India’s Farms As Farmers Harvest More Crops Than Ever. Protests Likely To Intensify

In Punjab, the Aam Aadmi Party government’s shift from ally to adversary in the farmers’ struggle reflects deeper faultlines in India’s agrarian policy and political landscape. India’s agrarian distress is unresolved even though the performance of the agriculture sector has been buoyant. Despite record food production—332 million tonnes in 2023-24, a 27% growth over nine years—farmers in every state remain as vulnerable as ever to debt and despair. Farm unionists say the country can expect farmers’ agitations to intensify.

03 Apr 2025        KAVITHA IYER