Skip to main content

New Farm Bills and Its Impact on Income and Status of Farmers


Written By: Falakdipti

The Indian Agriculture Acts of 2020 are three acts of September 2020 that seek to build an environment in which farmers and traders can enjoy the right to choose between the selling and purchasing of agro-products and encourage inter and intra-state trade and commerce beyond the physical premises of the markets informed by State Agricultural Produce Marketing legislations. The three bills which have been passed are the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill and Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill.

According to the Centre, these bills would completely change the agriculture sector for good and also raise farmers’ incomes. The government also reckoned that their income would double by 2022 and the farmers will have the liberty to fetch a better price for their produce by becoming independent of government-controlled markets. Moreover, they would be able to make a profit if they manage to know the fixed price of their produce in advance.

In the current APMC system (Agricultural Produce Market Committee), it is compulsory for farmers to go through a middle party, i.e., traders to sell their crops to consumers for which they receive the minimum selling prices. This system has led to a rise of cartels led by traders due to which the producers are paid the MSP (the lowest price) for their produce. The bills aim to create a system where farmers would be able to sell their produce outside mandis. Furthermore, they encourage intra-state trade and cut the cost of transportation. They will also facilitate farmers to engage with agriculture-related businesses, companies, exporters and retailers for service and sale of products while giving access to modern technology such as cold storages to the farmers. The bills propose providing benefits for small and marginal farmers (small farmers constitute 86% of the total) who have less than five hectares of land. Items such as cereals, oilseeds and pulses would be removed from the list of essential commodities. This will pull FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) into the farm market, as private investors' concerns will be eliminated.

According to Shri Narendra Singh Tomar, Minister of Agriculture, the provisions would attract farmers to relatively good crops which would lead to an increase in their income and led to agricultural growth. He and Shri Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India ensured that the MSP system (Minimum Support Price) would remain and “government procurement will continue”.

The new bills, if executed, would not bring any major changed, but a parallel system that would work with the existing system. They would ensure that the producers get the same attention as their produce and get stipulated price for their crops. The amendment to the Essential Commodities Act liquidates the fear of farmers that the traders who buy from them would be punished if the stocks that they hold are deemed to be in excess and inflicting harm to farmers.

However, there are some cons to these bills as well. The government declared MSPs for crops, but there are no laws to authorise their implementation. The only commodity for which the MSP payment has a statutory implementation is sugarcane for which FRP (Fair and Remunerative Price) is determined. This is because its pricing is governed under the Sugarcane (Control) Order, which was issued under the Essential Commodities Act. The Farmer’s Produce, Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill does not provide any legal backing to MSP.  There is no mention of either MSP or Procurement in the bill.

The three new bills place traders and farmers at the discretion of civil servants instead of the courts.

The easiest solution to eradicate some negatives of the three bills is to include statutory provisions for MSP and procurement in the new bills in order to eliminate the fear of farmers. Deletion of middlemen from the chain would prove beneficial for the farmers if they are provided with facilities such as climate-controlled storages, connectivity to markets, electricity supply etc. The rumours and misunderstandings should be cleared by the Centre and farmers should be guided well in this regard.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Legality of Euthanasia

  Written By: Falakdipti People have access to medical assistance, but there are cases where it does not aid a person to deal with or overcome the pain and suffering one has to go through due to an ailment. In situations where a patient’s condition is deemed ‘hopeless’, and the person is experiencing emphatic mental and physical agony, euthanasia is seen as the only ray of hope.   The term Euthanasia, a noun, was coined the 1640s and comes from two Greek words- Eu, which means good, and Thanatos, which means death. [1] Therefore, euthanasia can be simply translated to ‘good death’. It is a practice of intentionally ending someone’s life to relieve them from pain and suffering, performed under medical supervision. Euthanasia is mainly of three types: [2] ·        Voluntary euthanasia, which is done with the consent of the patient and is legal in some countries ·        Involuntary euthanasia, which is conducted...
2 comments
Read more

Terrorism as a Political Instrument

Written By: Falakdipti   Abstract Terrorism has existed since the old times, back when it was classified as an act against the monarch. Now, in the modern age, it is known as the use of violence to propagate religious and/or political ideologies. Usually, terrorism is associated with militant groups acting against a State, but governments also have the ability to engage in terrorism to use it for political and economic gain. The present paper aims to define terrorism and how it is used by States to establish dominance in the political world and its impact.   Keywords: state, government, militant, sponsor, terrorism   Introduction Terrorism is an act which involves unauthorised and illegal utilisation of deliberate violence in order to achieve political goals. [1] The term ‘terrorism’ originated in the 18 th century, during the French revolution. [2] According to the description by Nobel laureate Thomas Schelling, terrorism is the power to hurt in its purest...
1 comment
Read more

Covid Hikikomori: Impact of Lockdown on Acute Social Withdrawal

  Written By: Falakdipti ABSTRACT Everyone wants to retreat from society and the world sometimes. However, some people find themselves isolated in their room for months, sometimes even years, only ever slipping out once in a blue moon. This phenomenon is known as Hikikomori, or Acute Social Withdrawal. When the COVID-19 pandemic caused most of the world to go into lockdown, the term found itself in the spotlight again. This research aims to define Hikikomori and its relation to the pandemic. Keywords: isolation, hikikomori, social, pandemic, withdrawal   INTRODUCTION Japanese is a language that has multifarious beautiful words. ‘ Wabi Sabi ’ means incomplete or imperfect beauty. ‘ Komorebi’ refers to the light that filters through trees and falls on the forest floor. There is another word however, that was coined by renowned psychologist Tamaki Saito in the year 1998 to describe the rising number of cases of social isolation amongst the youth in Japan, known as ‘ Hikikomori ’....
Post a Comment
Read more

The Process of Elections in India (Lawsisto)

  Written By: Falakdipti An election is a process by which a population, usually of a democratic country, choose individuals and political parties that would represent them and hold a public office. Although the concept of election is quite ancient, elections in the contemporary world emerged at the beginning of the 17th century in Europe and North America. The first general election in India was held from October of 1951 to February of 1952.  The type of election process we follow in India is called the First Past The Post system, better known as the FPTP system or the majority system. The candidate who has the highest number of votes is declared the winner. This system is used in the Lok Sabha and the State legislative assembly elections. The Rajya Sabha follows the Proportional Representation system. This system is pretty complicated which is why the countries that follow this system usually only have a few constituencies. It may work in small countries but in India where m...
Post a Comment
Read more

Contribution of Racism to Generational Trauma

  Written By: Falakdipti ABSTRACT Racism is a belief that has been around for many centuries and has affected people negatively all around the world. The victims of this bane to society are the People of Colour (PoCs). Many a time the trauma and grief inflicted due to racism can be passed from generation to generation. The issue of racism is rarely a topic of discussion, especially in second and third world countries since they either consist of predominantly one race or the majority of the population is ignorant about the topic. The present study is an attempt to bring forth the issue of racism, how it impacts those affected by it, and how it causes generational trauma and psychological disorders.   Keywords : generational, issues, racism, trauma   INTRODUCTION Kamala Harris got elected as the vice president of the United States of America after the democrat party won the 2020 US presidential race. She became the first woman of colour to achieve this feat in ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Ableism in Capitalism

Written By: Falakdipti Keywords :  Ableism, capitalism, differently-abled people, disabilities, discrimination, people with disabilities, profit, society INTRODUCTION The privilege of being able-bodied is often something that most people take for granted. Persons with mental and physical disabilities face struggles on a daily basis, including discrimination at the workplace. This ranges from recruitment to their experience in a professional set-up. In a majorly capitalist world, where productivity is given more priority than the welfare of the people involved in the process, differently-abled people are often excluded, or treated improperly as they are considered to be a hindrance in the course of making a profit. This paper is concerned with elaborating the problems that such people face, why they deserve equal opportunities and how they can be included in a capitalist environment.   BASIC CONCEPTS Ableism is a term used to define the social prejudice and discriminati...
Post a Comment
Read more

Case Comment: Krell v Henry

  Written By: Falakdipti Forum Court of Appeal Case Krell v Henry [1903] 2 KB 740 Decided 1903 Rule of Law A party’s duties are discharged where a party’s purpose is frustrated without fault by the occurrence of an event, which the non-occurrence of which was a basic assumption on which the contract was made.     INTRODUCTION Krell v Henry [1] is an important case and a necessary judgement for law students and practitioners to understand the Doctrine of Frustration, which comes under section 56 [2] of The Indian Contract Act, 1872 (agreement to do impossible act). It is an English case and one of the group of cases known as the “coronation cases” [3] which emerged from occasions encompassing the crowning ceremony of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra in 1902.   BACKGROUND In this case the plaintiff was Paul Krell and the defendant was C.S. Henry. Bot...
Post a Comment
Read more

Understanding ‘Real’ Secularism: Study of Pseudo-Secularism in Indian Context

Written By: Falakdipti Abstract Secularism is a term that can be interpreted in multifarious ways by various people. Although it is a modern concept, its roots lie in the philosophies of ancient civilisations. The idea of secularism was introduced in India during the British Raj as a tool to suppress the quest for independence by making the predominately Hindu Indian National Congress prioritise and address concerns of the minorities (Muslims), which then gradually led to India adapting into a type of secularism different from most of the countries. Moreover, a few Indian political leaders acted as catalysts to further establish the idea into the constitution and our governing system. The word has become a means to normalise and justify Hinduphobia, which goes against what secularism strives for. The country every day faces instances where the authorities of the nation execute minority favouritism under the garb of secularism. This paper aims to address the characteristics of neo-secul...
Post a Comment
Read more

Unwanted Pregnancies and Legality of Abortion

  Written By: Falakdipti The word ‘abortion’ derives from Latin words ab, which means ‘away’ and orior which means ‘to grow’. Hence, the term refers to the expulsion of the foetus from the mother’s womb before it reaches the stage of subsistence. [1] The word first emerged in the English language in the 16 th century and was used to define both intentional and unintentional miscarriages. However, in the 19 th century, the word got associated solely with intentionally induced termination of pregnancy. [2] To what extent abortion should be permitted has always been a subject of debate on ethical, moral, medical, social and religious grounds. According to Scribonius Largus and Soranus, the Hippocratic oath forbade physicians from performing abortions. [3] However, it was in 1588 when abortion was declared an act of homicide by Pope Sixtus V and was hence banned. Ever since then the topic of abortion has become more controversial. It was in 1920 when the Soviet Union became the fi...
Post a Comment
Read more