Farmers Movement Archive

AICC secretary Sudhir Sharma slams Centre over agriculture bills

All India Congress Committee (AICC) secretary and former Himachal Pradesh minister Sudhir Sharma on Saturday said slammed the Centre over three agriculture bills stating that it was ‘acting like East India Company’. In a press statement issued here, Sharma said the country is already reeling under recession and the three bills will adversely affect farmers, horticulturists and other people associated with agriculture. He said the government passed the bills in Lok Sabha despite protests not only by farmers and opposition parties but also government’s allies. Sharma said the way in which the legislations were promulgated through ordinance in a hasty manner seems these are aimed at benefiting government’s corporate cronies. “It will be the farmer who will be hit by these,” Sharma said, adding that if farmers sell their produce outside the Registered Agricultural Produce Market Committee, the states will suffer a loss of revenue as they will not be able to receive duty. “It is feared that this may eventually lead to the end of the minimum support price (MSP)-based procurement system and lead to increased exploitation by private companies,” he said. “This law is designed to suit the big industrialists who wish to dominate the Indian food and agribusiness,” he said, adding that it will weaken the bargaining power of the farmers. Besides, large private companies, exporters, wholesalers and processors will get control, he added.Sharma said the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill proposes to exclude agricultural commodities like cereals, pulses, oilseeds, onions and potatoes from the list of essentials except under extraordinary circumstances like war, famine, extraordinary price rise and natural calamity. The limit of stock applicable to such items will also be eliminated. “This will allow big companies to have storage of these agricultural products so that they can impose their will on farmers.

Hindustan Times

19-09-2020

City