FARMER TALKS
Tuesday’s discussions by spelling out the government’s “seriousness to deal with farmers’ problems” as well as the resolve to “listen to farmers and their demands”, an official said, requesting anonymity. Agriculture secretary Sanjay Agarwal also outlined the government’s initiatives in the farm sector.
The agriculture minister suggested that farm leaders identify specific issues related to the three farm reform laws and share these with the government on Wednesday for consideration. “These issues will be discussed during the fourth round of meeting to be held on December 3,” the official cited above said.
Darshan Pal, a farm leader representing the Krantikari Kisan Union, said the farmers were ready with their key demands.
“We are still saying we don’t want these laws. However, the government insisted that the laws were in the interest of farmers. We will discuss the outcome of today’s meeting when we go back,” Pal said.
Farmers want the Narendra Modi government to revoke three contentious laws approved by Parliament in September.
The laws essentially change the way India’s farmers do business by creating free markets, as opposed to a network of decades-old, governmentcontrolled agricultural markets. These laws are The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.
Together, the laws allow businesses to freely trade farm produce outside the so-called government-controlled “mandi system”, permit private traders to stockpile large quantities of essential commodities for future sales, which earlier only government-approved agents could, and lay down new rules for contract farming.
Farmers say the reforms would make them vulnerable to exploitation by big corporations, erode their bargaining power and weaken the government’s procurement system, whereby the government buys staples, such as wheat and rice, at guaranteed prices.
On Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, speaking in Varanasi, slammed Opposition parties for misleading farmers and defended his farm laws as “historic”. He said the opposition had created unfounded fears in the minds of the farmers and insisted that support prices and procurement of staples by the government would continue.