Demystifier: An ED Original where we take a complex topic but the content is written in such a way that it is knowledgeable and easy to comprehend at the same time.
Being a nation that has always depended on farmers, India has always looked to improve their situation because they are the backbone of this nation.
The Union Government passed three bills recently, namely “The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020”, “The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020”, and “The Essential Commodities Bill, 2020” in September 2020.
What Do These Bills Entail?
The Empowerment and Protection Bill
This bill sets up provisions for a framework for contractual farming, wherein the farmer and the buyer can negotiate an agreement before production.
The Promotion and Facilitation Bill
The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce Bill, or Promotion and Facilitation Bill as it is called allows the farmers to sell their produce outside the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) regulated markets. The APMCs are government-controlled marketing yards which facilitate trade of crop and other produce. This way, farmers have more choices on who they want to sell to.
The Essential Commodities Bill
The main purpose of this bill is to remove commodities like cereals, pulses, oilseeds, onion and potatoes from the list of essential commodities.
It will do away with the imposition of stock holding limits on such items except under “extraordinary circumstances” like war or famine. Stock limits may be imposed on agricultural produce only if there is a steep price rise.
Also Read: Delhi Chalo Farmers Protest In Pictures; In Case You Didn’t Know Its Magnitude
Why Are The Farmers Protesting?
Almost 86% of India’s farmers are small scale sustenance farmers who own less than two hectares (five acres) of land each.
So, there lies an innate feeling of fear that they do not hold enough power in the equation to negotiate with corporations for the price to attain decent standards of living.
Furthermore, these laws do not make it mandatory to have a written contract. As a result, there will be next to no legal document to prove a violation of the contract and the aggrieved farmers will have no legal course of action to take.
The farmers are of the opinion that the Minimum Support Price (MSP) will be repealed. This is a legitimate concern as the government levies a tax for rural development, and the privatization of the market will lead to two markets: one with tax and the other without.
The consumer may then move to the taxless market, thereby jeopardizing the current MSP system. The workaround to this would be a clause stating that the prices would be equal to the MSP at a minimum.
Lastly, the farmers feel like they have been cheated because the exporters and traders will hoard seasonal harvest produce and sell it later when the prices hike. This will lead to the undermining of food security as the government will not have any information about the stocks available.
What is the Government’s Stance?
The Prime Minister and his Cabinet Ministers, particularly the Home Minister, the Agriculture Minister, and the Trade and Commerce Minister, have attempted to reassure the farmers that the government has no plans to end either the government procurement system or the MSP policy.
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has appealed to Home Minister Amit Shah to resolve this impasse that the farmers and the Centre are at so as to not jeopardize the security and economy of the state.
Image Source: Google Images
Sources: Al Jazeera, Zee News, Times Of India
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This post is tagged under: Agriculture Bill, agro-based economy, Amit Shah, Farmers’ protest, Government Policy, modi stand on farmers bills, protests in India, punjab, riots in delhi
The GOI will NOT withdraw the Farm Bills.Their thesis is that 800 million farnmers will gain,and the 10-30000 farmers protesting do NOT
capture the sentiments,of the 800 million.
The GOI cannot give MSP o/s the Mandi.The GOI is bankrupt.Indian Private sector does NOT want the Mandi.If a person does NOT buy
from Mandi – Y will be pay Mandi Tax or Mandi Fees ? The Private sector will buy at farm gate and store in their yards – mandi is out.
Once the private sector quit – the mandis will have no volume and the mandis will collapse.
Then will come in the private sector mandis at lower costs and taxes – and the govtt mandis will cease to exist.
MSP is a meaningless concept o/s the mandi as the PRIVATE SECTOR cannot be FORCED TO BUY A QUANITY OR A QUALITY AT A FIXED PRICE.They will
stop buying and import.
Basically the GOI is bust and they have decided to wipe out the farmers.Farmers are a dead weight.The surplus rice and wheat are eaten by rats
or exported at half the MSP.The GOI has decided to destroy the farmers and shift the small farmers to a labour class which will always be in
surplus – to keep wages low.dindooohindoo
Only large farmers and corporate farmers will stay.
FCI will also buy from the Private sector.
The TOP 100 FMCG companies on the NSE can meet the ENTIRE AGRI PRODUCTION of INDIA.
So what to do with the farmers ?
They have to be eliminated ! This day had to come !
Either kill the farmers or the Bania,Marwari,Gujarati,Brahmin,Kayastha,Pandits.THAT IS THE ONLY CHOICE.
INDIAN INDUSTRY THRIVES ON THE DECMIMATION OF THE INDIAN FARMERS BY KEEPING AGRI RATES LOW AND AGRI GLUTS!
ARHATIYAS THRIVE ON THE RAPE OF THE FARMERS
THE BANIA AND OTHER SHOPKEEPERS ALSO THRIVE ON THE LOWEST FARM GATE PRICE FOR THE FARMERS
5 nations of Africa can feed the world with AI and Modern Agri.Farmers are obsolete
Question is HOW TO GET RID OF THE FARMERS !
In 2020,the Sikhs will know the worth of their So called Gurus ! If they had even a billionth of their resolve (against Aurangzeb),they
would have had a separate nation and would not have been on streets !
Farming is the path of the Essenes – it is not something that Brahmins and Banias will get – ever !
THE NEXT TARGET OF MODI WILL BE THE BANK DEPOSITS !
THEN LAND IN EXCESS OF A CERTAIN SIZE
THEN GOLD AND DIAMOND POSSESSIONS OF INDIANS !
THERE IS NO OTHER OPTION – EXCEPT A MARXIST REVOLUTION – FROM BHAGAT SINGH THE MARXIST !
INDIA IS BASICALLY A POOR,BACKWARD,AGRARIAN NATION !
THAT IS THE TRUTH !