Farmers Movement Archive

Punjab and Haryana arhtiyas see agitation against agriculture bills as fight for survival

CHANDIGARH: Arhtiyas (commission agents) in Punjab and Haryana are deeply entrenched in the system. They exercise a strong influence on agricultural activities and the politics of both states. Arhtiyas, who have been the main link between farmers and procurement agencies in the two states, launched their campaign against the Centre’s agri-marketing ordinances early as the three bills cleared by Parliament will adversely affect their business. These powerful commission agents regard their opposition to the three bills as a fight for survival. Successive state governments in Punjab and Haryana have tried to keep the arhtiyas in good humour, resulting in politically-aligned groups. However, the agri-marketing bills have now prompted the commission agents to form an umbrella federation of arhtiyas of Punjab and Haryana to improve their lobbying power. In both states, the commission agents double up as moneylenders and are known as the ATMs of farmers. Non-institutional sources like arhtiyas financed 66.74 % of loans in unbanked villages and 54.45 % of loans in areas that had a bank in Punjab, a study by then Centre for Research and Industrial Development (CRRID) on rural indebtedness found. That is why, despite attempts to promote farmer producer organisations (FPOs) with procurement agent licences, farmers have preferred to fall back on the commission agents. Read AlsoGovernment pushes through farm bills amid opposition charges of foul playAmid unruly and aggressive protests by opposition members, the Rajya Sabha on Sunday passed by voice vote two contentious farm bills that were earlier approved by the Lower House. The two bills will now be sent to the President for his assent. The bill was opposed by BJP's estranged ally, the“Arhtiyas have always been there for the farmers. The new farm bills brought in by BJP at the Centre are a threat to both communities. Apart from thousands of arhtiyas, there are over one lakh employees and 10 lakh labourers attached to these agents. The labourers stitch gunny bags and load grains. Th entry of corporate houses will completely change the system,” said Ravinder Singh Cheema, president of the Punjab Arhtiyas Association. Blog: Agriculture’s watershed momenthttps://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/toi-edit-page/agricultures-watershed-moment-new-farm-bills-will-unshackle-43-of-indias-workforce-that-is-engaged-in-the-sector/ Cheema, also a former vice-chairman of the Punjab Mandi Board, added there will be no system to safeguard the interests of the farmers in the “unregulated” buying system outside the existing mandis. The Mandi Board or the state government will have no say in ensuring fair play in the new “free market” regime, he said. In Punjab, there are over 40,000 arhtiyas, of which 28,000 work full-time and hold licences. They have decided to join the farm groups which have called for a Punjab bandh on September 25. Read AlsoRajya Sabha debates farm bills: Who said whatNEW DELHI: Rajya Sabha on Sunday passed two contentious farm bills, which have triggered protests by farmers at several places, amid uproar by opposition members. The two bills -- Farmer's Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion andVijay Kalra, president of the Federation of Arhtiyas Association, said the arhtiyas passed a resolution on Sunday to condemn the agri-marketing bills and resolved to launch an agitation in the state. “The BJP is hand-in-glove with the corporate sector, which seems eager to annex the fertile farmlands of peasants and demolish traditional the agro-economy for their profit. The new bills have changed the definition of ‘trade area’, ‘traders’ and ‘dispute resolution,’ which will sound the death knell of the traditional grain market system,” he said. In Haryana, too, around 32,000 registered arhtiyas are on the warpath against the Centre’s new agri-marketing bills. For the first time they have joined hands with farmers across Haryana. The arhtiyas are not only actively participating in protests against the central legislation at the local level but also were actively involved in statewide protests on the issue. Read AlsoWhat is farm bill 2020: Pros & cons of three farm bills Centre introducedNEW DELHI: Amidst protest from opposition and a section of farmer's organisations, the Monsoon Session of the Lok Sabha passed three agriculture sector bills which will replace the existing ordinances once they are passed by the Rajya Sabha also. On Thursday, SAD leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal resignedImportantly, Haryana State Anaj Mandi Arhtiyas Association, an umbrella organisation of all groups of arhtiyas in the state, had expressed displeasure against the agricultural ordinances when initially announced by the Union government. Significantly, a large number of senior politicians in Haryana, including the families of former chief ministers Bhajan Lal and O P Chautala, were involved in the arhtiya business and had shops in Adampur and Sirsa markets, respectively. The political clout of the arhtiyas can be gauged from the fact that they will continue to be a part of the procurement process even after Punjab rolls out a public financial management system (PFMS) in two months. The Centre had arm-twisted the state into switching to the new system by holding back Rs 1,000 crore in procurement charges for the wheat crop amid apprehensions that it could happen again next season. On August 7 last year, chief minister Amarinder Singh had promised that arhtiyas would not be excluded from the payment process under PFMS. In turn, the arhtiyas would upload details of farmers in the state on the online portal for online transfer of payment through them. The Punjab government recently changed the Punjab Agricultural Produce Markets (General) Rules to allow direct payment to farmers, bypassing the arhtiyas. The move was aimed at “financially empowering” the farmer and reducing their dependence on the arhtiyas. (With inputs from Ajay Sura)

The Times of India

2020-09-22

Chandigarh