ARE OUR KRISHI READY FOR KALYAN ?

Sometimes all you need is to read a headline of a newspaper to bring you back to reality. The COVID-19 pandemic has opened a window of oppurtunities for the government to carry out agricultural reforms. The two houses of the parliament passed 3 farm bills: (1) the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020,  (2) the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 and (3) The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill 2020.

 

 But WHAT do these bills mean?

The Promotion and Facilitation bill makes it permissible for farmers to sell their harvest outside of the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC).  The Empowerement and Protection bills facilitates big firms to enter into contracts with farmers to sell their harvest at pre-decided prices. And, the essential commodities bill allows farmers to stockpile grain without being prosecuted for hoarding. 

India has enacted these laws with the view of removing the restrictions placed on the farmers on where they can sell their produce and at what price. WHY then are the farmers protesting in lieu of enjoying their new found economic freedom?

The reason is that the farmers doubt the intentions of the government, especially with the haste that the laws were passed in the parliament and assent seeked from the President. The farmers perceive the new system to be risky and favouring big corporations. It is not surprising that the farmers want to stick with the existing system even though they recongnize the problems because they fear that they will not be able to find jobs elsewhere given the unemployment rate of India's manufacturing sector.

The farmers believe the three bills to be a stepping stone for big corporations to takeover the agrarian market. For them, the markets are being rigged and will not allow to negotiate as equals with the big corporations. Hence, the farmers prefer to favour the inefficient but dependable government-led purchasing system over the more efficient laissez-faire model.

Over the years our country has embraced several technological, scientific, political and economic changes and one cannot deny that there have been negative outcomes but the positive results have overshadowed them. Change is the only constant. And as Neil Armstrong once said, " One small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind."