FARMERS' MARKET

THREE HOTLY CONTESTED AGRICULTURE SECTOR BILLS, WITH FAR-REACHING CONSEQUENCES FOR FARMERS, ARE IN PARLIAMENT. WHY FARMER GROUPS ARE WORRIED

- Anilesh S. Mahajan

On September 14, as Parliament reconvened for its monsoon session, farmers across Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Telangana fiercely protested three agriculture-reform bills being tabled by the government. In Punjab, farmers demanded that the legislation (currently in force as ordinances) be immediately repealed. Farmers’ groups say the proposed new laws—the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, the Farmers’ (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill—will leave them vulnerable to manipulation by the private sector. They say a free (read: unregulated) market will lead to less income security for farmers, and safety nets—such as the MSP (minimum support price) mechanism and regular procurement through APMC (Agricultural Produce and Marketing Committee) mandis—will be compromised.