Amid the ongoing farmers’ protests, the All India Farmers Association (AIFA) extended support to the three farm laws passed by both Houses of Parliament.
A delegation met Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar under the leadership of former PM Lal Bahadur Shastri’s grandson and AIFA working president Sanjay Nath Singh on Wednesday. In the memorandum submitted to Tomar, the farmers’ body attributed the crisis in the agriculture sector to non-remunerative farming and price manipulation at the APMC markets by vested interests.
Thanking the government for liberating the farmers from the exploitative mandi system and the debt trap, it added that the new laws would attract much-needed investment in the agriculture sector.
They believe that this will lead to an exponential growth in this sector’s contribution to the GDP and prosperity of rural India. However, acknowledging the concerns expressed by farmers regarding the farm legislation, they gave a few suggestions to ensure that an early resolution can be reached.
The suggestions put forth by AIFA are:
• Institute an independent regulatory authority to monitor contracts with farmers. The rules should be skewed in favour of farmers.
• The government may enforce a template of the contract agreement with corporates.
• A Price Regulatory Authority must be set up to monitor the sale and purchase of farm produce, ensuring that no profiteering is done by a private entity at the cost of the farmer.
• Guarantee that the farmers’ land won’t be snatched away.
• Ensure that the right to the technology of quality agricultural input must be given to the farmers at the earliest.
They also refused to budge from the demand to repeal the agrarian legislation. Reportedly, the unions again rejected the Centre’s offer to form a committee to examine the agrarian laws. Moreover, there was no consensus on legalising Minimum Support Price. The next round of talks will be held at 2 pm on January 8 which shall again centre around the farmers’ concerns over the MSP and the three farm laws.
They also refused to budge from the demand to repeal the agrarian legislation. Reportedly, the unions again rejected the Centre’s offer to form a committee to examine the agrarian laws. Moreover, there was no consensus on legalising Minimum Support Price.
The next round of talks will be held at 2 pm on January 8 which shall again centre around the farmers’ concerns over the MSP and the three farm laws.
पूर्व प्रधानमंत्री स्व. श्री लालबहादुर शास्त्री जी के नाती व संगठन के कार्यकारी अध्यक्ष श्री संजय नाथ सिंह जी के नेतृत्व आज “अखिल भारतीय किसान संगठन” के प्रतिनिधिमंडल ने मुलाकात कर नए कृषि सुधार कानूनों को ऐतिहासिक बताते हुए इनका समर्थन किया।#FarmersWithModi pic.twitter.com/uZW9KXhgiW
— Narendra Singh Tomar (@nstomar) January 6, 2021