The farmers Bill 2020 will have the right to decide where he wants to sell the produce. He can either trade in the APMC market, or he can sell to private buyers”. BJP alleges Khalistani elements behind agitation.
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Farmers Bill 2020: Ministry of Agriculture India Notification
Parliament passes 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
Full protection has been ensured to farmers in these legislations; Hon’ble PM has himself assured that procurement at MSP will continue – Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare Shri Narendra Singh Tomar
Posted On: 20 SEP 2020 2:13PM by PIB Delhi
Parliament today passed two bills aimed at transforming agriculture in the country and raising farmers’ incomes. 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 which were passed by Lok Sabha on 17th September 2020, were passed by the Rajya Sabha also today. The Bills were introduced in Lok Sabha on 14th September 2020 by Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, Rural Development & Panchayati Raj, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar, to replace ordinances promulgated on 5th June 2020.
Speaking about the Bills, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar said that the Government under Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has taken several landmark decisions in last six years to ensure that farmers get remunerative prices for their produce, and for raising farmers’ incomes and livelihood status. He again clarified that the procurement at Minimum Support Price will continue, assurance for this has been given by Hon’ble Prime Minister himself, rate of MSP has been increased considerably during 2014-2020 and MSP for coming Rabi season will be announced in coming week. The Union Agriculture Minister said that full protection has been ensured to farmers in these legislations.
The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020
Main Provisions of Farmers Bill 2020–
The new legislation will create an ecosystem where the farmers and traders will enjoy freedom of choice of sale and purchase of agri-produce.
It will also promote barrier-free inter-state and intra-state trade and commerce outside the physical premises of markets notified under State Agricultural Produce Marketing legislations.
The farmers will not be charged any cess or levy for sale of their produce and will not have to bear transport costs.
The Bill also proposes an electronic trading in transaction platform for ensuring a seamless trade electronically.
In addition to mandis, freedom to do trading at farmgate, cold storage, warehouse, processing units etc.
Farmers will be able to engage in direct marketing thereby eliminating intermediaries resulting in full realization of price.
Doubts –
- Procurement at Minimum Support Price will stop
- If farm produce is sold outside APMC mandis, these will stop functioning
- What will be the future of government electronic trading portal like e-NAM
Clarification –
- Procurement at Minimum Support Price will continue, farmers can sell their produce at MSP rates, the MSP for Rabi season will be announced next week
- Mandis will not stop functioning, trading will continue here as before. Under the new system, farmers will have the option to sell their produce at other places in addition to the mandis
- The e-NAM trading system will also continue in the mandis
- Trading in farm produce will increase on electronic platforms. It will result in greater transparency and time saving
The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020
Main provisions –
- The new legislation will empower farmers for engaging with processors, wholesalers, aggregators, wholesalers, large retailers, exporters etc., on a level playing field. Price assurance to farmers even before sowing of crops. In case of higher market price, farmers will be entitled to this price over and above the minimum price.
- It will transfer the risk of market unpredictability from the farmer to the sponsor. Due to prior price determination, farmers will be shielded from the rise and fall of market prices.
- It will also enable the farmer to access modern technology, better seed and other inputs.
- It will reduce cost of marketing and improve income of farmers.
- Effective dispute resolution mechanism has been provided for with clear time lines for redressal.
- Impetus to research and new technology in agriculture sector.
Doubts –
- Under contract farming, farmers will be under pressure and they will not be able to determine prices
- How will small farmers be able to practice contract farming, sponsors will shy away from them
- The new system will be a problem for farmers
- In case of dispute, big companies will be at an advantage
Clarification –
- The farmer will have full power in the contract to fix a sale price of his choice for the produce. They will receive payment within maximum 3 days.
- 10000 Farmer Producer organizations are being formed throughout the country. These FPOs will bring together small farmers and work to ensure remunerative pricing for farm produce
- After signing contract, farmer will not have seek out traders. The purchasing consumer will pick up the produce directly from the farm
- In case of dispute, there will be no need to go to court repeatedly. There will be local dispute redressal mechanism.
Source: Pib.gov.in
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Narendra Singh Tomar on Farmers Bill 2020
While talking to ANI, Minister of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare, Narendra Singh Tomar, said that the agriculture bills that have been recently passed in both houses would bring a revolutionary change in the lives of the farmers.
He said that during the first tenure of PM Modi in the office, the government decided to ensure a 50% increase in the Minimum Selling Price (MSP) in order to improve the financial condition of the farmers. The government took several initiatives to improve productivity and reduce the cost of farming.
A mission to double the income
He said that when the government announced that by 2022, they want to double the income of the farmers, several meetings were done with the states and the stakeholders to formulate the plan. As a part of the initiative, the government announced PM Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana under which every registered small and marginal farmer will get Rs.6000 every year divided into three instalments. Under the scheme, the government has paid Rs.93,000 crore to the farmers.
The government has decided to open 10,000 Farmer Producer Organization (FPO) centers across the country to help small and marginal farmers. The government is going to spend 6,850 crores on the scheme in five years. These centers will help them in improving their production and income. The government has also announced a 1 lakh crore infrastructure fund in the field of agriculture.
Why are new farmers bill 2020 essential?
The union minister said that the new bills dubbed as Farmers’ Produce Trade & Commerce (Promotion & Facilitation) Bill, and Farmers (Empowerment & Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance & Farm Services Bill would help in removing the hold of the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) from the market. These bills will enable the farmers to sell their produce at a higher price directly to the buyers without any middleman.
He said, according to the present system, the farmer brings the produce to the market. 25-30 licensed traders hold the auction for the produce. The farmer has to sell the produce at the price they have decided. The farmers often bend down to the price the market chooses to, due to the fact that most of them cannot afford to take the produce back with them. This act will enable the farmer to sell the produce in the market or outside the market directly to the end-buyer
Khalistani Elements Behind Farmers Protest: BJP
BJP alleges Khalistani agenda behind farmer protests, says Congress playing with fire. BJP IT cell in-charge Amit Malviya tweeted a purported video of protesting farmers where a man is heard citing PM Indira Gandhi’s assassination in an apparent bid to threaten PM Modi.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alleged Friday that the Khalistani agenda is being propagated under the garb of the Punjab farmers’ agitation and accused the Congress — which is in office in the state — of aligning with radical elements.
BJP IT cell in-charge Amit Malviya tweeted a purported video of protesting farmers where a man is heard citing PM Indira Gandhi’s assassination in an apparent bid to threaten PM Modi should their 3 December discussions with the government fail to resolve their grievances against the farm laws.
Farmer protest or Referendum 2020? Listen and decide
Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards on 31 October 1984, when the Khalistani insurgency was raging in Punjab. The assassination followed the Operation Bluestar siege on the Golden Temple — which led to the killing of Khalistani insurgent Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale — that took place four months earlier. Source: ThePrint
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