PAY FARMERS BEFORE DELIVERY TO AVOID ROW: PAPER

Amid the ongoing farmer protests at Delhi’s borders against the three farm Acts, a discussion paper was presented during the National Dialogue on Indian Agriculture in 2030, organised by the NITI Aayog and Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

The paper said farmers need to be paid on the same day either in cash or electronically before delivery of their produce in a trade area (classified as an area outside the jurisdiction of a regulated APMC). This will lower the possibility of disputes and eliminate the chances of going to a sub-divisional magistrate for settlement.

It also called for better oversight and regulation for trading on an electronic platform as facilitated by the Acts. This could be in the form of some agency or intermediary that could facilitate transactions between farmers or aggregators and the buyers.

The paper, written by researcher Seema Bathla and former agriculture secretary Siraj Hussain, said while the three agriculture Acts will have far-reaching impact, the state governments, on their part, need to draw up a blueprint for entry of the private sector in agriculture markets.

They must also push for speedy implementation of the regulations specified in the respective Acts.

The paper also said appropriate institutional arrangements have to be made for aggregators, farmer-producer companies (FPCS), self-help groups (SHGS), co-operatives and agri start-ups that help in reducing the transaction cost of farmers and provide them with grading and standardisation facilities.