Farmers reject govt proposal on agri laws, vow to intensify stir; nationwide protest on December 14

Farmer leaders rejected a government proposal on the three agriculture laws on Wednesday.

Farmer leaders Wednesday rejected a government proposal on the three agriculture-marketing laws and said they would intensify their agitation against the legislations with a nationwide protest on December 14. They said that if the government gives a proposal again then they will consider it.

The farmer leaders also warned that the agitation will take place at all district headquarters on December 14 and protests will continue across the country. "On December 14, BJP offices will be gheraoed, protest demonstrations will be held in many parts of the country. We are also giving a call to farmers from other parts of the country to reach Delhi," said farmer leaders at Singhu border.

They also said they will block the Jaipur-Delhi and the Delhi-Agra expressways by December 12, and all the roads entering into the national capital, one-by-one if their demands are unmet.

Farmer leader Shiv Kumar Kakka told a press conference here that there was nothing new in the government's proposal sent to them on Wednesday, and that it was "completely rejected" by the 'Sanyukta Kisan Committee'. Farmer leader Jangvir Singh said that their unions may consider if the government sends another proposal.

Kakka said the farmers have decided to intensify their agitation, and that they will block all roads leading to Delhi one by one if the three farm laws are not scrapped.

Another farmer leader, Darshan Pal, said the proposals sent by Union Home Minister Amit Shah contained the same things as Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar told farmer leaders in previous meetings. All the highways to Delhi will be blocked on December 14 as part of the nationwide protest, he said.

The Union Home Minister had Tuesday evening met 13 representatives of the protesting farmers, but their talk failed to break the impasse. The farmers continue to protest at several border points of Delhi, demanding the government scrap all the three laws. The government has been defending these laws, saying they will benefit the farmers in the long run and raise their incomes.

Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Simplification) Act, 2020 and Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Agricultural Services Act, 2020. Proposal on the issues raised.

Issue: It is feared that the mandis set up by the mandi committees will be weak and the farmer will be caught in the clutches of private mandis.
• New provisions provide more options to sell the crop, keeping the old option running. The farmer will now be able to sell the crop outside the mandi from any warehouse, cold storage or even from his field.
• There will be more competition in buying the crop of the farmer because new traders will also be able to be buyers of the crop, which will allow the farmer to get more value.
• All the bonds of trade between the inter-state and within the state will be removed.
• In addition to the new options, the farmer will have the option to sell in the market as before and to sell at the government procurement centre on the support price.
Proposal -
• By amending the Act, it can be provided that the state government can implement the system of registration of private mandis. Also, from such mandis, the state government can determine the cess/fee up to the rate of cess/fee applicable in APMC mandis.

Issue: By not arranging the registration of the trader, only on the basis of PAN card from the farmer. There is a system of crop purchase which is likely to be cheated.
• With a view to providing more options of marketing to the farmer in the new Acts, there is a system of doing business to the merchant on the basis of PAN card.
• The law empowers the Central Government to make rules in relation to the registration of merchants, manner of trade and arrangement of payment.
• There is a provision to implement a registration system on the basis of documents other than PAN card.