Farmers Movement Archive

Bills for farmers’ benefit but Cong creating hurdles, says Nadda

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday said the three bills --- The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, 2020; The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020; and The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 --- have been introduced in Parliament with the intent to benefit farmers, but the Congress is creating hurdles in their all-round development by opposing them. BJP president JP Nadda addressed media persons on the three key bills that are to be passed by Parliament during the 18-day uninterrupted monsoon session, which started on Monday, amid the raging coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic across the country. “These bills are far sighted. They are related to the empowerment of the farmers and are truly revolutionary. Farmers will be free to sell their produce in a competitive market of their choice. But the Congress is opposing them. The party is hampering the farmers’ all-round economic growth and development,” Nadda said.On Tuesday, the Lok Sabha (LS) passed Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, 2020; and it will now be taken up for discussion in the Rajya Sabha (RS). The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020; and The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020; are listed for discussion in the LS on Wednesday.The Congress has opposed the ordinances related to the agri-marketing practices that seek to create new structures on the grounds that it would undermine the existing food security net. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh had said last week that revenues of agri-dominant states would be negatively affected by these three ordinances and private companies would benefit because of their corporate farming initiatives.Nadda lashed out at the Congress for what he alleged was the rival party’s doublespeak. He said the bills would ensure that farmers get good prices for their produce and investments in the agriculture sector would also be encouraged.“These are very beneficial from the point of view of agriculture. The Essential Commodities Act has been in force since 1955 when we used to face an acute shortage of food grains. About 10 million tonnes (MT) of wheat was produced in 1955, which has since gone up by 10 times. In 1955, rice production was 25 MT, which now stands at 110 MT. This bill was introduced when there was food grain shortage and there was a need to regulate things to ensure there is no hoarding and commodities can be sold at the right price,” he said.The BJP president, who is also a member of the RS, said that the government is making an attempt to benefit farmers by ensuring they can sell the produce with ease.“At present, farm produce can be sold only through mandis. These bills allow them to sell the produce outside of mandis as well and also determine their own price,” he said referring to the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, which seeks to allow intra-state and inter-state trade of farmers’ produce beyond the physical premises of agricultural produce market committees (APMCs). State governments are prohibited from levying any market fee, cess or levy outside APMCs.The BJP president said a transparent process, where farmers could take a call on where they would get the best price for their produce would be in place after the bill is passed.“This bill also has the provision of giving information on prices. Farmers can be told which places are offering a fair price,” he said. He also cited The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill. 2020; that seeks to develop a framework for contract farming and trade agreements for the sale and purchase of farm produce.Nadda said it would offer protection to farmers who would understand the details of agreements that would be drawn up in regional languages.“All these three bills are in the favour of the farmers. All the bottlenecks have been removed between a farmer and market. The Congress is opposing these bills because it has a double face. The party always plays politics. In 2013-14, the Congress had told its own state governments to denotify fruits and vegetables from APMC. The Congress in its 2019 parliamentary election manifesto had also promised that it would repeal the APMC Act, 2003,” Nadda alleged.The BJP’s ally, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), had opposed the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, 2020 in the LS. SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal described the bill as anti-farmer and said his party was not consulted when the ordinances were framed. The party has also said it would oppose the other two bills as well. .

Hindustan Times

16-09-2020

India