Why Are Indian Farmers Protesting?
In the end of August and beginning of September 2020, the Parliament of India introduced three new sets of Farming Laws that the farmers have deemed Anti-Farming Reforms instead since their implementation over the past month of November 2020. The three laws are (i) “The Farmers Product Trade and Commerce (Promotion & Facilitation) Ordinance 2020”, (ii) “The Farmers (Empowerment & Protection) Assurance and Farm Service Ordinance 2020”, and (iii) “The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Ordinance 2020”. These ordinances were issued on August 10th, 2020 and were finally passed in the last week of September 2020, making them laws in the South East Asian country with expectations that they will be “strictly implemented”.
These are: The #Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion & Facilitation) Ordinance 2020, The Farmers (Empowerment & Protection) Assurance and Farm Service Ordinance 2020, and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Ordinance 2020, of June 5, 2020 – all now laws.#FarmBills pic.twitter.com/nnSmv2tGxw
— IANS Tweets (@ians_india) September 28, 2020
Soon after the three ordinances were issued, Indian citizens, farmers, and peasants sparked massive protests, lamenting the anti-farming aspects of what would become three incredibly problematic laws in India. By November 2020, over 250 Million people have gotten involved in the Farmer Protest of 2020 in India, according to Humble The Poet. Worker and farmer unions have gotten involved in the fight against the anti-farming laws. In fact, the protests are so widespread that some articles are going as far as to say that this is “the largest protest in human history”! The fear with these protests isn’t violence. Instead, those participating fear that this too will be erased from history books and that all of the efforts put in over the months will prove to be impactless with zero documentation. The idea behind any and every person’s involvement in the protest is that you should #ThankAFarmer and #StandWithFarmers if you ate today – after all, who else cultivates the raw materials for your meals if not them.
Here is a summary of the key provisions and aspects of the three laws.
The laws focus on those 86% of the farmers who are operating on a small or marginal scale. According to the new laws, the smaller or marginally scaled farmers who cannot bargain or invest in farming tech will be able to sell their produce outside of the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) mandi or market at any location of their choosing. However, the mandis’ commission agents would lose their commissions and fees, which is one of the biggest concerns of this protest. Meanwhile, the small/marginal farmers will be required to enter into agri-business firms or large retailer contracts with pre-decided prices for their produce. While this would transfer the risk of market unpredictability rates-wise, it also transfers produce control and power from the farmer to the “sponsor”, i.e.: the contract firms and retailers. Additionally, the third law would make it so that cereals, pulses, oilseeds, edible oils, onion and potatoes are removed from the Essential Commodities list.
Unlike Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s claims that this reform could benefit farmers, it is well known that once a basic, essential commodity is privatised, it takes all power and control away from the raw producers to investors, sponsors, and foreign retailers who factually do not deserve that control over something they should have no say. The fear, eventually, is that these sponsors will begin to dictate how the produce industry is run and handled and that they will not be able to get the minimum support price (MSP) through the dismantling of the MSP system. The farmers are demanding through these Farmers Protests and “Bharat Bandh” strikes happening at the moment that either the laws be completely withdrawn or that they be amended with a legal assurance that the MSP system will continue.
Why is the MSP System So Important?
The Minimum Support Price (MSP) System ensures that the government purchases any given crop from the list of 22 commodities from a farmer at a minimum price announced by the India Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) after calculating the cost of cultivation before sowing seasons for those crops. After cultivation, the Food Corporation of India (FCI) purchases grains from the farmers at the pre-decided MSP, sells it to the poor at reduced prices, and is compensated by the government for the loss in price.
How Are Farmers Protesting the 3 New Laws?
Amongst the protests, strikes and marches happening outside the capital of Delhi are also sit-ins and blockades including a siege laid to the city that has reached its twelfth day today on December 9th, 2020. The police and authorities have pushed back against the farmers trying to enter Delhi from Punjab and Haryana by not only blockading the capital territory but also tear-gassing the masses, spraying them with freezing cold water and generally preventing them and their demands from being heard.
Meanwhile, the protests and support for the farmers have gained traction internationally amongst Indian diaspora citizens, social media influencers, South East Asians, farmers, and millions more! Influencers and artists are doing everything they can to raise their voices and support through social media campaigns like these ones.
How are you contributing towards helping the Farmers Protests in India? Don’t forget to share this and tag your friends to let them know about what is happening and how they can help! Remember: if you ate today, Thank A Farmer!
Credit: Vipin Kumar/Hindustan Times via Getty Images
2 Comments
Thank you for the detailed article on the topic!!
You’re welcome!