“Lootne ki chhoot.” Permission to loot. Farmers’ leader Amra Ram was pronouncing his verdict on the three farm Bills passed by Parliament i...
“Lootne ki chhoot.” Permission to loot. Farmers’ leader Amra Ram was pronouncing his verdict on the three farm Bills passed by Parliament in September.
As the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill and Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill became law, they triggered widespread farmers’ protests across the country.
Taken together, the legislations loosen regulations on the sale, pricing and storage of agricultural produce. They allow farmers to sell outside mandis notified by the Agricultural Produce Market Committee. They enable contract farming through deals with private sector companies. They take food items like cereals and pulses off the list of essential commodities, lifting stock limits on such produce.
The government tried to project the laws as a game changer, giving farmers the freedom to sell in the open market. Farmers disagree. They say the laws will weaken the minimum support price mechanism under which the government buys agricultural produce, leave farmers to the mercy of market forces, wreak havoc on small farmers who will not be able to compete and threaten food security.
“They don’t care about common people – this is to give national and international companies leave to loot,” said Ram, former president...
