Photo Source: Babushahi Bureau
Farmer leaders unlikely to accept Govt's proposal because of peer pressure, says Bhupinder Singh Mann; Watch Video
Babushahi Bureau
Chandigarh, February 19, 2024: A day after the fourth round of talks between farmers leaders and Central government representatives,
Bhupinder Singh Mann, Ex-MP and National President of BKU and Chairman All Kisan Coordination Committee (KCC) in the press statement said although the proposal made by the Center Government is good and in the interest of diversification from paddy, the farmer Unions are unlikely to accept this proposal due to fright of peer pressure, political ambitions, and their "Competitive Unionism", which is overshadowing interest of the farmers.
The panel of Union ministers had proposed that government agencies would buy three pulse crops, maize, and cotton at MSP for five years after entering into a legal contract with farmers.
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Mann said that he thinks that there is an urgent need of reforms in agriculture which are overdue for decades now.
"When the industrial sector was liberalized in 1992, at that time reforms in agriculture were also required to be initiated and this missed opportunity has pushed the agriculture sector into the current situation of "red flag". Even now, it is not late," he said.
He said that the farmers should also be given a level playing field and access to open markets. Till the time farmers are bound and tied by zonal restrictions, MSP as a safety net is desirable.
He further emphasized the need of an agriculture policy with a stable import and export policy. This would however, require changes in the Essential Commodities ACT and the 9th schedule which is the main enemy of the farmers. The 9th schedule, known as "the constitutional dustbin" was a "rude gift to farmers" by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru in the very first amendment of the constitution of India.
He further added that the concept of MSP is flawed as the determination of MSP by CACP is totally tilted in favour of the consumers rather than the farmers.
He also quoted the TOR of to emphasize his point:-
❖ The likely effect of the price policy on rest of the economy, particularly on the cost of living, level of wages, cost structure of agro-based products and the competitiveness of agriculture and agro-based commodities.
❖ To take into account the changes in terms of trade between agricultural and non-agricultural sectors.
He strongly urged the Centre government to find a solution to this mania of dharna (s) at the earliest because the young children of Punjab are being misled by the leaders and the anger of these young children of Punjab will keep increasing with every passing day.
"Being the border state, Punjab has been deprived of industrialization, which could have created jobs resulting in pulling youth of Punjab out of agriculture to other means of lively hood," he expressed.