The Centre has dropped ample hints that it will consider the demands of the farmers for level playing field between the APMCs and private markets or trade area outside the APMCs and other issues in the farm laws. Today is the ninth day of farmers protest. Thousands of farmers are camping at Delhi borders against the three farm laws cleared by the Parliament earlier this year.
Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said that the government is committed to protect the APMCs and consider the issues such as market fee, registration of traders so there should be similarity in the APMCs and trade areas outside the APMCs. Tomar made the comments after fourth round of talks with farmers’ organisations at Vigyan Bhawan in Delhi on Thursday.
At the outset of the meeting, Tomar reiterated the government’s commitment towards the welfare of the farmers and assured that the MSP will remain and therefore the farmers should not fear that it will go away.
Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) laws, 2020 allows intra-state and inter-state trade of farmers’ produce beyond the physical premises of APMCs and state governments are prohibited from levying any market fee or cess outside APMCs. This is the reason, farmers of Punjab are demanding to repeal this law as they fear that APMCs will collapse due to new farm act.
Meanwhile, farmer leaders stated that the agitation will continue till the farm laws are repealed. After a seven-hour long meeting on Thursday, the representatives of farmer organisation said they don’t want any amendments in the farm laws rather these laws should be withdrawn immediately.
In addition to the three farm laws, they have also demanded the removal of heavy penalty on stubble burning.
Darshanpal, leader of the Krantikari Kisan Union of Punjab, said that the government has agreed to make some amendments in the farm laws, remove agriculture from the law to prevent pollution and assured us about the MSP.
The government called for a meeting again on December 4, but farmer organisations asked it to do it on December 5 so that “we can decide on our strategy”.
