Farmers in India have won.

The Indian government has proposed guaranteed price support for pulses, maize, and cotton in an attempt to resolve the deadlock with protesting farmers, said Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal following weeks of clashes between security forces and protesters. Tear gas and barricades have been used to restrain farmers, who form a powerful voting bloc, a few months before general elections set for May, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeks a record third term. Sunday's comments followed marathon negotiations with farm unions after protesters demanding higher law-backed prices for nearly two dozen crops were stopped about 200 km from New Delhi. Goyal said the government has offered five-year contracts at minimum prices to support farmers. "These agencies will buy the produce, and the quantity will not be limited," Goyal told journalists in the northern city of Chandigarh, adding that a similar price guarantee will also be offered to cotton producers. Farm unions stated that they will make a decision on the proposal within a day or two after reaching a consensus among themselves. Shifting more agricultural crops to pulses, such as rice and wheat, which require more water, will not only benefit the depleting levels of groundwater but also help reduce imports of pulses. Domestic demand for maize is also growing as poultry farming and ethanol production increase consumption. It is worth noting that police used tear gas and barricades to stop thousands of farmers, who mainly grow wheat and rice, from marching into New Delhi, as they demanded the government guarantee a minimum price for all their produce.