All India Farmers Association throws weight behind agrarian laws, shares 5 suggestions

Amid the ongoing farmers' protests, the All India Farmers Association (AIFA) extended support to the three agrarian laws passed by both Houses of Parliament in September 2020. 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.

Terming the passage of the farm reforms as a "watershed moment" for agriculture, it opined that this will lead to an exponential growth in this sector's contribution to the GDP and prosperity of rural India. 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. Acknowledging the concerns expressed by farmers regarding the farm legislation, they gave a few suggestions to ensure that an early resolution can be reached. 

Read: Supreme Court To Hear Pleas Against Farm Laws On Jan 11; Centre Touts Healthy Discussions

Here are the suggestions put forth by AIFA:

• 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. 

Read: 'Cong Doing Doublespeak': SAD's Stinging Attack On Punjab Govt As It Implements Farm Laws

The impasse over farm laws continues

The stalemate over the agrarian laws continued as the 8th round of talks between the farmers' unions and the Centre on Monday could not yield any outcome. In the previous deliberations, the Union government had agreed not to penalise farmers for stubble burning and to continue the present mechanism of giving subsided electricity for agricultural use. During the meeting, the farmer leaders rejected the proposal to have a clause-by-clause discussion of the 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. 

Read: Govt Must Shed Arrogance, Repeal Farm Laws: Cong Leader Rahul Gandhi