'Farmers Ordinance 2020 not in best interest of farmers': Bhupesh Baghel writes to PM Modi

Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh Bhupesh Baghel has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to withdraw the Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Ordinance 2020, which was passed by the Centre in June as a part of the Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan with an intention to allow free agricultural trade and raise the income of the farmers.

Bhupesh opined that the ordinance will reduce employment opportunities in the agricultural sector. Speaking against the reforms and favouring the erstwhile Mandi Act, he said that the act is completely rational and serves the best interests of the farmers, and with it being ineffective, "lakhs of farmers in the unorganised sector will be forced to act under unbridled market forces".

"The closure of the mandi will not be in the long term interest of the farmers as the agricultural produce of the farmers within the mandi yard is valued by the open auction method - electronic tender bid, which gives a competitive price for their produce. Without auction and competition, outside the market yard and lack of knowledge of prevailing market prices, the possibility of farmers getting a lower price for the produce cannot be ruled out," he added.

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However, since the passage of the ordinance, it has seen protests in certain parts of the country to withdraw the ordinance terming it anti-farmer. Soon after the ordinance was passed, farmers in Punjab held protests by stating that it would give a freehand to big corporate houses to exploit the farmers. As per reports, farmers bodies and commission agents in Haryana have decided to hold protest against the ordinance in Haryana alleging that the government wants to allow big corporates to purchase the farm produce at their own prices. 

However, the government had passed the ordinance with an intent to remove the confinement of selling the produce in Mandis so that an ecosystem could be created where the farmers and traders could enjoy the freedom of choice to sell or purchase the produce even outside the Mandis by supplying directly to the end-users or to corporates who could buy in bulk where farmers had the direct connection to end users without any middlemen in between.

(With ANI inputs)

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