Opposition flays Karnataka govt plan to do away with ‘notified markets’

Preempting a move to dilute agricultural marketing laws, the Opposition Congress on Tuesday amounted a fresh attack on the BS Yediyurappa administration that looks set to promulgate an ordinance allowing farmers to sell their produce anywhere.

By amending the law, the state government is looking at doing away with the concept of “notified markets,” thereby removing restrictions on the sale of agricultural produce. The government claims this will provide greater market access to farmers hit by the Covid-19 lockdown.

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Under the proposed amendment, the Agricultural Produce Market Committees (APMC) will lose the power to regulate “marketing of notified agricultural produce in the market yards, market sub-yards and sub-market yards.”

In its May 5 letter to the state government, the Union Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare noted that Karnataka had implemented all necessary reforms, except “limiting regulation of agricultural produce marketing committee (APMC) to within the physical premise of mandi (yard).” The state was asked to consider taking the ordinance route.

The BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat have brought a similar amendment.

Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah said the ordinance will be an “anti-farmer” move.

“It will take away the regulatory authority of APMCs over procurement of agriculture produces by private entities. This will allow private companies to dictate the supply and demand which threatens food security and guaranteed price for farmers,” Siddaramaiah said, adding that this should be discussed in the Assembly before implementation.

“If the government really wants to help farmers, they can allow private entities to open markets, but the regulatory authority of those markets should remain with APMCs,” he said.

Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president D K Shivakumar, who addressed a joint news conference with Siddaramaiah, warned the government of statewide protests if labour laws were relaxed.

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“If the government makes any move to snatch the rights of labourers, Congress will hit the streets. We will not allow labour laws to be diluted,” Shivakumar said.

Apparently, the government is working on some changes in labour laws, including increasing work hours.