By Muneer Shamee
Indian is the country of billion people and famous for age-old civilization. It has changed the perception of the world -being a land of snake charmer to the land of skilled professionals and global entrepreneurship. The growth of Indian economy is the matter of attraction and mainly dependant on farming and farmers. Among three important sectors of the world- Service Sectors, Manufacturing Sectors and Agricultural Sectors. Globally India has ranked 11th in the Service Sectors, 12th in the Manufacturing Sectors and 2nd in the Agricultural Sectors. It’s important to save the crops as to grow the agricultural crops. More than 50% population depends on agriculture which contributes the GDP also. Globally 2-10% populations is involved in agriculture. India is making poor utilisation of human resources workforce. Agricultural production have not increased considerably in the last 60 years and have poor yields per hectare. Even our neighbouring countries are doing better than us.
‘Jai Jawan jai kisan’ is a popular slogan meant for farmers raised time to time for political benefits. Thousands of farmers across the countries in Punjab, Haryana and Telegana are protesting against the farmers bill. Government of India has recently passed three Ordinance meant for agricultural reforms causing anger and anxiety among the peasants of our nation. States like Punjab and Haryana where the agricultural products are higher in comparison to the other states, the farmers on street are raising their demands and protest in changes over the Ordinance Bill. The situation sometimes turned violent in some places, whereas some farmers alleged that they have been lathicharged by the police. Farm Bill 2020 includes:
• The Farmers (Empowerment and
Protection) agreement on price
Assurance and Farm Services Bill
2020.
• The Farming Produce Trade and
Commerce Bill 2020.
• The Essential Commodity Bill 2020.
Need of APMC Mandi’s
————————————–
Indian agricultural systems has a life-long history where the money lenders and traders overpowered and exploited the farmers. Farmers strive hard to sell the crops in the open market remaining in perpetual debt with the lot of socio-economic problems. Then the government came out with Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) – a system under state subject government since agricultural marketing is a state subject that regulates the agricultural products and livestocks. Government developed market with the jurisdiction of market committee. If any traders want to trade or procure in the market area they need license which are governed or controlled to an extent by government. A minimum support price is given to the farmers in the market area with the less exploitation to the farmers- an incentives for the farmers regulated under state APMC act. The APMC markets are the real issues and farmers which they want to save for their future especially in the Green Revolution areas. These mandis have further extended to other food producing states especially the farmers of Punjab and Haryana are greatly benefited.
In the long run these markets committee have grown powerful and regulated the traders license as a result ‘License Raj’ was developed. They often started farmers cartels and mafia’s deals with another farmers. In the recent ordinance the government of India started one nation one market where the farmers can sell their products wherever they wish to. In the present scenario only 6% farmers get MSP and they get only after selling their products in APMC market. Nearly 94% farmers are directly dependant on markets. Farmers raise their hue and cry over these as if the government encourage the sale and purchase outside the mandis as there should be no tax over these outside mandis or no minimum support price for the farmers. There is less government hold and less assurance to the farmers of being exploited. Gradually the traders will start buying their products outside the mandis saving their taxes which in result the mandis will start collapsing. Farmers also alleged that corporization of agricultural sectors of India which are monopolized by big companies of India. It has become the issue of free markets versus regulated market as in the Western countries where it has been regulated by private companies.
According to the government all the farmers can sell their crops outside their APMC mandis. State government can’t collect cess. In other words government want to free inter-state barriers of the farmers. Whereas the farmers have their own stands. They take it as a embarrassing situation. They believe that Food Corporation of India (FCI) will freeze and they have to depend on traders which results in exploiting the farmers. The greatest concern of farmers is that they fear of loosing their minimum support price. Moreover the state government also protesting their rights of revenue being snatched away by the central government. In the name of uniformity of law there is the risk of unemployment of licensed traders. There is no fixed entity or price for farmers which raises monopoly and giving the free hands to the private firms.
(Author is a columnist. The views expressed are personal opinion of the author. He can be reached at muneer.udl@gmail.com)
