Why are farmers in Punjab outraged over farm bills in 2020?
Farmers fear they will no longer get paid at MSP, they want profitable sales in the form of minimum support prices (MSPs) to be a legal right.
The farmers demand a separate ordinance to provide a clear provision that if any agency buys the crop of the farmer below the MSP, then legal action will be taken against it
Commission agents are concerne kid that they will lose their commissions in mandis and influential agents do not want to lose grip over the farmers.
According to a Punjab Agricultural University study, there are over 12 lakh farming families in Punjab and 28,000 registered commission agents. A large part of the state’s economy rests on funds infused by central procurement agencies such as the Food Corporation of India (FCI).
Now, protesters fear the FCI will no longer be able to procure from the state mandis, which will rob the middleman/commission agent/arhatiya of his 2.5 per cent commission. The state itself will lose the 6 per cent commission it used to charge on the procurement agency.
Farmers believe that the bills are designed to help big corporate houses at the cost of their income.
Farmers say that the legislation is going to lead to a replication of old structures outside mandis and create two market spaces with completely different sets of rules.


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