Opposition slams Modi's agri-reforms unveiled through ordinances

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s agriculture reforms have run foul with the opposition, which has accused him of giving a short shrift to consultations with state governments before announcing measures to relax barriers in trade in farm produce.

Congress and the CPI(M) have raised strong objections to The Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion & Facilitation) Ordinance 2020 that allow farmers to sell their produce outside the prescribed limits of the Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee markets and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Ordinance 2020 that seeks to promote contract farming.

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh slammed the Modi government, accusing it of taking decisions unilaterally without consultations with the state governments.

Singh termed the Ordinances as an “ill-conceived move” that could have an adverse impact on the APMC system that has been functioning well for the past six decades.

“The Centre has no powers to make any legislation to deal with the dynamics of agricultural production, marketing and processing,” the chief minister said.

Beside the two Ordinances on agriculture trade, President Ram Nath Kovind also promulgated the Essential Commodities Amendment Ordinance that seeks to remove cereals, pulses, oilseeds, onion, potato and edible oil from the law that allows governments to impose stock limits on commodities to rein in rising prices.

“It is obnoxious that the Agriculture Minister chose to describe these ordinances as the ‘real freedom’ of the farmers,” the CPI(M) said in a statement.

It said the amendments pave the way to create artificial shortages due to speculation by middlemen and traders adversely affecting the country’s food security.

“Further, these amendments, by removing all restrictions and providing ‘barrier free inter-state and intra-state’ sale of agricultural produce pave the way for contract farming by promoting trade and commerce outside the premises or markets covered under the Agricultural Produce Market Committees (mandis),” the CPI(M) said.

The Rashtriya Kisan Mahasangh has termed the Ordinances as “anti-farmer” and announced a nation-wide movement against the new laws.