Farmers Movement Archive

Sentiments of farmers remain a poll enigma

Chennai: With the assembly elections round the corner, political parties are working hard to influence the farming community. Tamil Nadu, as per the national agriculture census 2015-16, has close to 80 lakh farmers. Their families put together form an influential chunk of voters that no party can ignore.Farmers in Tamil Nadu, however, have never presented a picture of unity and reading their political choice has always been an enigma for political pundits. Their issues and political considerations vary from region to region. Those in the western belt don’t share the concerns of farmers in the delta. If timely release of Cauvery water is the primary concern in the central districts, farmers in the southern districts have other preferences.Both former chief ministers M G Ramachandran and M Karunanidhi used to call on Narayanasamy Naidu, an influential farmer leader, seeking support for every election. The growing clout emboldened Naidu to launch Uzhavar Uzhaippali Katchi, a political outfit, in the 1980s, only to lose deposits in all the seats and realise it the hard way that his ilk does not blend politics with occupation.This year, opposition parties have been working hard to bring farmers to the streets against the three new farm laws, with the hope that it would become a poll plank and farmers would support them en bloc at the hustings. But the stir in Tamil Nadu remains largely driven by the DMK and its allies. "The DMK is trying hard to use the farm laws to strengthen the anti-Modi rhetoric in the state. It is not gaining much traction among farmers though," said analyst Raveenthiran Doraisamy.One may wonder how TN farmers can be less belligerent than their counterparts in Punjab or Haryana. The answer may lie in the progressive agricultural marketing system in TN. The new acts are aimed at evolving a ‘One Nation One Market’ system. It stems from the fact that farmers’ share in consumers’ price is diminishing owing to differential taxes and other regulations, some even whimsical, put in place by various states. For instance, permitting commission agents in Agricultural Produce and Livestock Market Committees (APMCs were established under the APML Act) by certain states adds to the cost of procurement.In a free economy, if farmers do not have the right to choose their market, it is denial of a level-playing field. The Farmer’s Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion & Facilitation) Act, 2020 permits farmers to sell their produce anywhere in the country by doing away with the system that mandates farmers to sell produce only inside APMC mandis in some states. The commission agent system in these states may not thrive if the farmers choose other marketing channels.Tamil Nadu presents a contrasting picture as farmers here have the freedom to sell anywhere and the system of commission agents does not exist in regulated markets in the state. Here commodities like pulses, copra and cotton are sold over and above the minimum support price (MSP) outside the regulated markets. While the MSP for copra is `99.6 per kg, it sells for `110 per kg outside regulated mandis.Market fee collection is another hurdle for farmers in many states, but not so much in Tamil Nadu, which levies a market cess of just 1%, compared to 8% in Punjab. Even procurement under the MSP is done differently in Tamil Nadu. In Punjab, for instance, rice and wheat are procured under MSP for the Central pool through APMCs. The revenue for the state and commission agents in this exercise is substantial. But Tamil Nadu follows a decentralized procurement system and procurement is done through direct purchase centres for distribution under the public distribution system only. No market fee is charged for this procurement.Abolition of monopoly of APMCs and existence of commission agents in the agricultural marketing system is a prerequisite for farmers getting competitive prices for their produce. Introduction of electronic trading platforms will nullify inter-state trade barriers. Again, Tamil Nadu is a step ahead as it has e-trading platforms in regulated markets. Relaxation of stockholding limits under the Essential Commodities Amendment Act, 2020 would help farmers and business houses involved in food processing, especially when they do contract farming. The Farmers’ (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020 will pave the way for market-led production with assured and agreed price for the produce. It is in congruence with the Tamil Nadu Agricultural Produce and Livestock Contract Farming (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2019. With TN working on agro processing clusters and food parks, the Union laws could help in its endeavour. So will the farm acts have an influence on the polls? Going by the history of elections in Tamil Nadu, socio-political issues and debates do not largely affect the electoral outcome in the state, said BJP state general secretary R Srinivasan. "Sri Lankan Tamils’ issue dominated political debates in the state for close to 40 years, but it never became a poll plank. Women continued to vote for the AIADMK even while agitating against Tasmac liquor shops. Political alliances and anti-incumbency factors have decided poll outcomes in Tamil Nadu," said Srinivasan.

The Times of India

2020-12-29

Chennai