Akhila Bharatha Raitha Sangharsha Samanvaya Samiti members staged a protest here on Thursday in front of deputy commissioner’s office seeking the State government to withdraw the amendment to Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) Act.
The government has adopted the anti-farmer policy by trying to protect the interests of capitalists and corporate companies. The government has amended the APMC Act to exploit farmers. The farmers will be in the hands of corporate companies henceforth, the protesters charged.
“Farmers are in distress due to lockdown, the decline in prices of produces and drought. The ordinance to the Act has created more problems for farmers. The farming community has been victimised due to unscientific policy of the state and the central governments,” alleged the Samithi district unit general secretary T M Venkatesh.
He said that lockdown has resulted in hunger and unemployment, besides affecting the economy badly. The government has handed over the market to private persons. On the pretext of competitive price, the government has implemented the policy benefitting the corporate companies.
As per the norm, one APMC should be set up for every 5 kilometres and there should be 42,000 APMCs in the country. However, there are only 7,000 APMCs in the country. The government is weakening the APMC Act instead of strengthening it, alleged Raitha Sangha state general secretary Shivappa.
He said that the corporate companies would increase the prices and achieve a monopoly in the APMCs affecting food security.
The protesters urged the State government to withdraw the ordinance immediately and protect the interests of farmers.
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