The three key Farm Bills—the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020, and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020—that were passed amidst much uproar by Parliament September 2020 got the President’s nod on September 24, 2020.
The Bills are aimed at changing the process related to marketing, selling, and storing of agricultural produce across the country. The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020 seeks to allow the sale of agricultural produce outside the mandis regulated by the Agricultural Produce Marketing Committees (APMC). The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm services Bill, 2020 is related to the provision of contract farming. The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill deregulates the production, supply, distribution of food items like cereals, pulses, potatoes, onion, and edible oilseeds.
Major Issue
The farmers are protesting against the provisions of all the three bills; however, their main concern is the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce Act, 2020, especially its provisions related to trade area, trade dispute resolution, and market fee.
Other Concerns
As for the MSP, the government’s view is that the minimum support price (MSP)-based procurement of agriculture crops from farmers will continue and it is not related to the farm Bills, because purchase on MSP was done in the past and is still in practice. So, it will continue in the future as well. The Opposition criticised the government saying they are rushing through the Bills, while they should be appropriately discussed since they are linked to the livelihood of 60 per cent population of the country. Similarly, another Opposition leader termed the bills as the ‘obituary’ of farmers.
Courtesy: Indian Express