Farmers Movement Archive

Cong calls state farm bill ‘anti-farmer’

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Agricultural Produce and Livestock Marketing (promotion and facilitation) Bill-2020 was introduced in the assembly on Wednesday. The Congress called the bill “anti-farmer”. The bill, which will replace an ordinance already promulgated by the state government, aims to facilitate geographically-restricted free trade of agricultural produce, including livestock across Odisha. The government intends to abolish the fragmentation of market within the state by removing the concept of notified market area. The business advisory committee of the assembly will decide a date to hold discussions and pass the bill. Opposing the bill at the introduction stage, Congress legislature party leader Narasingha Mishra has termed the bill as ‘pro-corporate’. “If you allow free market, it will be disastrous for the farmers. They will be ruined. The bill is in sync with the Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, enacted in Parliament. Though the BJD opposed the bill in Parliament, it is now going to have a similar legislation in the state,” Mishra said. Senior Congress leader Santosh Singh Saluja also opposed the bill saying free market would lead to distress sale of agricultural produces. “The farmers will be at the receiving end,” he added. Co-operation minister Ranendra Pratap Swain, who introduced the bill, said the legislation was in no way similar to the bill passed in Parliament. The proposed legislation has been introduced to repeal the Odisha Agricultural Produce Market (OAPM) Act enacted in 1956. “The intended purpose of the OAPM Act has not been fully achieved. A number of developments over the past six decades have changed the agricultural produce marketing scenario, which has necsessitated an urgent revamp of the existing law,” Swain said. As agricultural marketing in the state suffers from various issues, the proposed legislation aims to address issues like poor infrastructure, fragmented marketing channel, operational inefficiency and the wide gap between the price received by the producer and paid by the consumer. Official sources said the bill has provisions for setting up private market yards and consumer market yard (Krushak Bazar) to enhance competition among different markets and market players for the produce. It will also help in the creation of modern infrastructure with the help of private investment for value addition and primary processing. The bill will also promote e-trading to enhance transparency in trade operations. Once the new law comes into force, there will be a single point for levying of market fee across the state and issuance of state-wide single trading license to ensure cost-effective transactions.

The Times of India

2020-11-26

Bhubaneswar