INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
their produce to, however, agrarians fear they will not get the MSP for their crops as per the new laws
The Central
supported the farmers' right to protest
The Congress has already offered its unequivocal support to the farmers with former chief minister and Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda
the matter is likely to gain steam in the coming days, once the Parliament meets for the Monsoon Session.What are the three ordinances
all state APMC laws with reference to the sale and purchase of farm products, and bring uniformity into contractual farming rules (and state
brought changes into list of essential items whose prices are regulated by the government.Why are farmers upset about these
their produce for better price and also to attract private investment in the agricultural market.However, farmers fear that they will not
get the minimum support price or MSP (set by the government) for their crops after the implementation of new provisions of the law
They also feel the new law will hit the current system of mandis badly.The Opposition Congress was swift to capitalise on the opportunity to
The Congress has also suggested some changes in the ordinances to make them farmer-friendly."These ordinances are against the interests of
If the government wants to implement them, then it should ensure that no purchases are made below MSP
The government could bring in a fourth ordinance separately to provide a clear provision that if any agency buys the crop of the farmer
below the MSP, then legal action will be taken against it," former Haryana chief minister and senior Congress leader Hooda said in a
statement.Senior Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala said these ordinances will not only "destroy" farmers, but will also lead a blow to
the mandi system and impact farm labourers and "arhitiyas" or commission agents as well
Surjewala raised various issues in the ordinances that would allegedly harm the interests of the farmers.There is also no provision in the
ordinances for the protection of the rights of farm labourers or tenants, he said."When the mandi system ends, the farmer will be dependent
only on contract farming and the big companies will set the price for his crop
What is this if not a new zamindari system?" he asked referring to rules of contract farming notified under Farmers (Empowerment and
crores of labourers, middlemen, book-keepers, transporters, etc, working in the grain-vegetable mandis will end automatically," he
claimed.Surjewala alleged it was a "plot" to convert the "disaster of the farmers" into "opportunities" for a handful of crony capitalists
under the cover of the coronavirus pandemic.With the abolition of the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC), farmers will neither get
the "minimum support price (MSP)" nor the price of the crop according to the market price, Surjewala said.Furthermore, the farmers also
(MSP) mechanism will continue, and appealed to farmers not to believe those trying to spread falsehood in this regard.The ordinances seek to
provide barrier-free trade for farmers' produce outside notified farm mandis, and empower farmers to enter into farming agreements with
private players prior to the production for sale of agri-produce.The government had first announced these measures as part of the third
tranche of the economic package announced in May following the crippling lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic
At the time, the government had said that under the current system, farmers are required to sell their produces only to licensed middlemen
in notified markets, usually in the same area where farmers reside, rather than in an open market, scuttling price discovery.This resulted
in the stratification of buyers and fragmentation of markets and supply chain
Furthermore, such a restriction of sales allows a select few powerful vendors to control the market price.An article in Hindustan
controllers of prices, demand and supply chains.The system, coupled with farmers' inability to predict their products' worth at the time of
sowing, means that the farmers are always at a huge risk of suffering losses
The APMC system, instead of creating a free-flowing market where the profits can trickle down to the producers, keeps a few people in charge
of running the show in each district or region."Ushered in during the 1960s, APMC regulations were meant to protect farmers from distress
also says that these laws will not only eliminate free trade barriers in agricultural production, but they will also empower farmers to
engage directly with potential buyers in advance of harvest.With inputs from PTI Get technology news, gadgets reviews - ratings
