Farm bills will limit bargaining power of farmers: RS member Shreyams Kumar

Opposing two farm bills passed in Rajya Sabha on Sunday, LJD leader and Rajya Sabha member M V Shreyams Kumar said enactment of these legislations will limit the bargaining power of farmers.

The Upper House passed by voice vote the Farmer's Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020. The bills have already been passed by Lok Sabha and will now go to the President for his assent before they are notified as laws.

"Retailers will decide what needs to be cultivated with a pre-decided price decided by corporates where the bargaining power of farmers is limited or nil," the LJD (Loktantrik Janata Dal) leader told reporters here on Sunday.

In recent past, there have been lot of merger and acquisitions happening in the retail sector. That means, the entire food industry will be controlled by few corporates, he said.

Strongly opposing the proposed legislations, he said they are only to encourage certain corporates to harvest more money and compromise the interest of farmers.

Earlier in the day, while participating in the debate on the bills, he alleged that the real intent is to do away with MSP (Minimum Support Price) and urged that the House should send the bills to select committee.