Farmers from various parts of the USA have spoken in support of the Indian farmers who are protesting the Farm Laws enacted by the Central Government of India last September.
Since November 2020, Farmers mostly from the northern part of India have been sitting across the borders of Delhi, protesting against the three laws, which the farmers believe will let the corporates gain the upper hand, and eventually hurt their livelihood. The protest is close to hitting its first anniversary.
Noticing their struggle, farmers from the states of Missouri, Iowa, Wisconsin, Kansas among other regions in the USA have expressed their support to the Indian farmers.
In a video produced by and released on the Scroll website, the US farmers could be seen expressing solidarity.
Webster Davis, a veteran and farmer from Missouri said “I like to let the farmers in India know that we are truly proud of you, and we would like for you to understand the righteousness of your decisions. Don’t let nobody tell you these large corporations are gonna take care of you. This is the same myth they have tried to tell us for years.
George and Patty Naylor, Grain Farmers, Iowa said ” we feel connected to the farmers in India, we understand their struggle and the difficulties they are facing.” ” The struggle that Indian farmers have right now for the minimum support price is the same as the struggle we have here”
Jim Goodman, Ex-Dairy farmer from Wisconsin pointed that the Indian government and corporations are talking the same road that the US went down and it is not gonna work.
Mike Callicrate, Livestock farmers, Kansas said ” I am so proud of those farmers. We don’t have enough farmers left in the US to have a protest. Farmers that we do have are so beholden to corporate power and the corporations that are providing their inputs and buying the outputs, they live in fear, they cannot protest for fear of retaliation.
John Peck, Farmer and Educator, Wisconsin said ” To be honest our farmers have given up, they have been beaten down so badly, they are so tired, they commit suicide just like farmers in India.”
Joe Maxwell, Farmer and 45th Lt.Governor, Missouri said “This is your only chance because once the corporations get in, they only get more power and it is only harder to get rid of them, and that is where we are in America.” “In America, farmers are barely making any money”
“I am a former State Representative, State Senator, Lieutenant Governor in Missouri. Don’t believe a politician when they say ‘Oh we are just going to delay this a while. Don’t believe that. They will delay it a while and then when are in your sleep, when you got your eyes shut, they will implement it.”
All of them appreciated the organized manner in which the Indian farmers are holding their protest, and they expressed their awe over the women farmers taking part in the protest. They assured that they (US Farmers) are with them in their struggle, and urged them not to lose hope in their fight.