Farmers Movement Archive

Govt tables bills, to make MSP mandatory for contract farming

Jaipur: Forcing a farmer to enter a contract of sale of his agricultural produce at a price below the minimum support price (MSP) may lead to imprisonment for three to seven years and/or a fine up to Rs 5 lakh, says one of the six amendment bills tabled in the Rajasthan assembly on Saturday. ‘Harassing’ farmers may also invoke the same punitive action, says another bill, which defines harassment as traders not accepting delivery of farm produce agreed upon or not making payment within three days from the date of receipt of delivery. At the same time, Rajasthan’s amendment bills do not make MSP mandatory for purchases made by individuals or brokers outside contract farming, but it will be mandatory for contract farming. “That is outside the state’s purview. Only the Centre can make MSP mandatory for individual or non-contractual buying,” Congress state president and cabinet minister Govind Singh Dotasra told TOI. Punjab, on the other hand, made MSP mandatory for the sale and purchase of wheat and paddy recently. Four of the six amendment bills tabled in Rajasthan assembly are related to farmers — including the one proposed to amend the Code of Civil Procedure — and seek to ‘override’ the three farm laws enacted by the Centre in September. The amendment bills introduced “to restore the safeguards for farmers” in Rajasthan are likely to be passed on Monday. The state assembly session, which was adjourned in August but not prorogued till date, has been reconvened specially to counter the Centre’s farm laws, as already done in the two Congress-ruled states of Punjab and Chhattisgarh. Soon after the House assembled on Saturday, parliamentary affairs minister Shanti Dhariwal tabled the bills skipping the customary question hour at 11 am. Once that was done, Speaker CP Joshi read out obituary references for former President Pranab Mukherjee and other political leaders who passed away recently and promptly adjourned the House for the day. The Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (promotion and facilitation) (Rajasthan Amendment) Bill, which provisions jail and/or fine for harassing a farmer, allows disputing parties to seek resolution through civil courts under the state’s Rajasthan Agricultural Produce Markets (APMC) Act. The Farmers (empowerment and protection) agreement on price assurance and farm services (Rajasthan Amendment) bill states that “no farming agreement for sale or purchase of a crop shall be valid” unless the price paid for the crop is “equal to or greater than” the prevailing MSP. It further says a fee/cess under the Rajasthan Agricultural Produce Markets Act, 1961 shall be charged on the farming agreement but will not be charged from the farmer and will be utilized for the welfare of farmers and development of market infrastructure. This bill defines “harassment” as compelling a farmer “to enter into a sale under contract of agricultural produce in his possession at a price below the MSP” or “refusing to accept produce or take delivery of goods under a farming agreement within a week from the date of intimation by the farmer of the produce being ready for delivery”. The Essential Commodities (special provisions and Rajasthan amendment) bill empowers the state government to regulate production, supply, distribution, and impose stock limits to protect consumers against hoarding and black-marketing of agricultural produce under extraordinary circumstances. The Code of Civil Procedure (Rajasthan amendment) amends section 60 of the Central Act of 1908 and bars the attachment or sale of a debtor farmer’s land up to 5 acres. Leader of opposition Rajendra Rathore said the BJP would oppose the bills during the debate on Monday.

The Times of India

2020-11-01

Jaipur