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Need more farm sector reforms, MSP not feasible: Anil Ghanvat

Ghanvat was a member of the Supreme Court-appointed committee on farm laws
Last Updated 23 November 2021, 17:12 IST

A prominent farmers' leader Anil Ghanvat on Tuesday made a strong pitch for liberal policies for agriculture produce with minimal involvement of the government to rein in high prices of essential commodities.

Ghanvat, who was a member of the Supreme Court-appointed committee on farm laws, said farmers of the country were desperate for a renewed focus on reforms, particularly those related to market freedom and use of best available technology to increase farm produce.

“The reform impulse reflected in the farm laws, despite their shortcomings, should not be abandoned by the Modi government,” Ghanvat, President of the Swatantra Bharat Party and senior leader of the Shetkari Sangathan, told reporters here.

He also wrote a letter to Chief Justice of India N V Ramanna with a request to make the report of the apex court-appointed committee on farm laws to be made public to facilitate “informed farm policy debates” and also to aid the government in preparation of the consultation paper by the government.

Ghanvat also said he will mobilise one lakh farmers to Delhi in the next couple of months to press for “badly” required farm sector reforms even after the repeal of the three farm laws.

He accused the farmer leaders leading the year-long agitation of “misleading” the community by spreading canards about the three farm laws and rubbished the demand for granting legal cover to minimum support price (MSP).

“Legal cover for MSP is not feasible and implementable. All the government's revenue cannot be spent on MSP. If done, then the government will not have funds for development of other sectors,” he said.

“We want reforms. The current policies have pushed the farmers into poverty. The moment prices of farm produce start rising, government starts imports, impose import bans leading to fall in prices. How will the farmer benefit,” Ghanvat said.

The three-member panel had submitted the report to the apex court on March 19.

Ghanvat said the report submitted to the Supreme Court had detailed suggestions on the MSP regime and had it been made public, the agitation would not have stretched for so long.

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(Published 23 November 2021, 17:12 IST)

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