The Modi government wants to pass three ordinances in the form of a bill in the monsoon session. These include the Farmer Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill-2020, Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill-2020, and Price Assurance and Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement Bill, 2020 on Agricultural Services.
BJP’s ally Shiromani Akali Dal has been opposing it since the ordinance. When the bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Thursday, Akali Dal MP Sukhbir Singh Badal protested that Harsimrat Kaur Badal would resign from the post of minister. Harsimrat is the Union Food and Processing Industries Minister. The Akali Dal is part of the BJP-led NDA.
The Modi government introduced these during the lockdown, but now a bill has been introduced in Parliament to give it the shape of the law. Two of these have been passed in the Lok Sabha.
Apart from Punjab, Haryana, farmers are opposing it in many areas of Telangana, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh.
What is this bill?
The Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill-2020 prohibits the State Governments from levying any tax on the sale and purchase of agricultural produce outside mandis and gives the farmers freedom to produce their produce at a remunerative price. Sell on The government argues that this bill will strengthen the economic condition of farmers.
What is in the bill?
- Agricultural Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill. You can sell the produce anywhere. You will get better prices. There will be online sales.
- Farmer (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Agricultural Services: Farmers’ income will increase. Middlemen will end. The supply chain will be ready.
- Essential Items (Amendment): Cereals, pulses, edible oils, potatoes and onions will no longer be compulsory items. They will be stored. Foreign investment in agriculture will be attracted.
Why is the bill being opposed?
- Mandis are over, then farmers will not get MSP i.e. minimum support price. One Nation One must be MSP.
- There is no mechanism to fix prices. There are fears that this will give private companies a means of exploitation of farmers. The farmer will become a laborer.
3. Businessmen will hoard This will cause price volatility. Food security will end. This can increase the black marketing of essential commodities.
Food Corporation of India (FCI), which comes under the Central Government, purchases maximum rice and wheat in Punjab-Haryana. During the Rabi procurement season in 2019-20, 129.1 lakh metric tonnes of wheat was procured in Punjab. While the total central procurement was 341.3 lakh MT.
It is clear that the economy of Punjab is directly linked to agriculture. Farmers are afraid that the new law will not allow the Central Procurement Agency (FCI) to buy their produce and they will have trouble selling their produce and will also lose their hands with the MSP.
