Farmer's Protest in India-2020

The Indian farmers' protest of 2020 is an ongoing protest against the three farm acts passed by the Indian Parliament in 2020.This protest is mainly going on by farmers of Punjab, Rajasthan and Haryana. Firstly the local protests began in states of Punjab and Haryana. After two months of protests, farmers from these two states began a movement named 'Dilli Chalo', in which tens of thousands of farmers marched towards the national capital. Police and law enforcement used water cannons and tear gas to prevent the farmers from entering Delhi. On 26 November, a nationwide general strike that reportedly involved approximately 250 million people took place in support of the farmers.

This protest is going on because of three bills which were passed by the Rajya Sabha passed the three bills by 22 September. The President of India gave his assent by signing the bills on 28 September, thus converting them into acts.
These three acts are:
1. Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation), Act
Expands the scope of trade areas of farmers produce from select areas to any place of production, collection, and aggregation.Allows electronic trading and e-commerce of scheduled farmers' produce. Prohibits state governments from charging any market fee, cess or levy on farmers, traders, and electronic trading platforms for trade of farmers’ produce conducted in an outside trade area. This act allows middlemen or traders or private companies to bypass the APMCs (Agricultural Produce Market Committee) and buy it directly from farmers or other trading centers.

       

2.Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services, Act
Creates a framework for contract farming through an agreement between a farmer and a buyer prior to the production or rearing of any farm produce.This act will clear the way for contract farming, and now private companies will be able to make direct contacts with the farmers.

3.Essential Commodities (Amendment), Act
Allows for the center to regulate certain food items in the course of extraordinary situations like war or famine. Requires that imposition of any stock limit on agricultural produce be based on price rise. Also removes the cereals, pulses, oilseeds, edible oil, onion, and potato from the list of essential commodities. This act will also promote hoarding of goods.

Demands of farmers:
1. The first demand of the protesting farmers’ organisations is the cancelation of three new agricultural laws.Because farmers’ organisations say that these laws will benefit the corporate, but not the farmers. However, the government claims that farmers will benefit from these three laws and the agriculture sector will grow.
2. Farmers’ organisations want a guarantee of MSP (minimum support price) from the central government. 
3. Abolishment of the Electricity Bill, as they feel that they won’t get free electricity due to this.
4. Removal of punishment and fine for stubble burning and release of farmers arrested for burning paddy stubble in Punjab.
5. Cut diesel prices for agricultural use by 50%.
6.Implement MSP as recommended by the Swaminathan Commission. The Swaminathan Commission Report states that the government should raise the MSP to at least 50% more than the weighted average cost of production.
7. Withdrawal of all cases against and release of farmer leaders and human right activists.

Benefits and Drawbacks of this three acts:

Benefits:

• The price is decided from the begining when the contract is made. Therefore, if there will be any fluctuations in market price of that product then also the farmer will get the decided value in contract.
• These types of contracts are happened before this bill but they were registered in "Mandis". So, the Mandis got the small cut of fee from that amount. But when this contracts are done directly with farmers by companies the middlemen are removed and both company and farmer gets benefit.
• Farmers can also take money in advance in some contracts therefore, they are not needed to take loans.
• Farmers can sell their products anywhere in India. But they can not sell their products to other states Mandis because Mandis comes under state government. Thetefore state government will take the dicesion whearher the farmer can sell in Mandis or not. 

Drawbacks:

• It is not effective for small farmers because company will not waste time to deal with small farmers.
• Company have legal team and financial experts to decide contracts and price.
• Farmers have to pay tax in Mandis. Therefore, corporate and farmers will have benifit to sell outside of Mandis. As the result, the importance of Mandis and the tax which state government earns from Mandis will be reduced.

Problems of Farmers and there solutions:

1. MSP (Minimum Support Price)

• Government declares MSP on total 23 items but there is no guarantee that government will buy these items from every one. Second thing that government only buys few items. Farmers concern that if the most of the trades will be done outside Mandis then government will remove the MSP. Only 6% farmers gets the MSP values and government do not buy every year all the items.

Solution: Farmers should know and discover their products price. They should check the Infosys' share price on stock exchange. Future prices of agri commodities can be checked and farmers can decide their productions price. 

2. In second act there is mentioned dispute redressal system is weak. This act says that if there will be any problem between farmer and company it will be solved by Sub Divisional Magistrate. Farmers have fear that corporate can exploit it.

Solution: We can tell farmers about existing laws. According to this act  farmers can get protection in consumer court. When the agreement is is in written form the situation of dispute is reduced. Farmers should know their rights.

3. Mandi system do not have such necessary facilities like cold storage and weighing. In India there are total 7320 APMCs which are not equaly distributed. Farmers have fear that companies will remove APMCs and will think about their own profits not farmer's.

Solution: Mandis should be improved. They should give farming items in less cost.

Some other solutions for farmers:

• Farmers should use FASAL device which is like a solar device which collects all the information through weather and gives it to farmer through an application. And it also tell about the solutions used when your farming is affected and also gives precautions for farming.
• When farmers buy any item of farming the agents fool them by selling bad quality products and earns lot of money. After then when the product of farming is not good enough farmers have to sell them in low price and they bear a big loss. To save farmers from this loss DeHaat a technology based market place helps them by giving them good quality inputs in low cost and buy outputs from farmer in reaosnable rate.
• Our Indian farmers are technologically backward. 86% of farmers comes in small and marginal farmers whose lands are less than 2 hectors. so, they can't buy a tractor for 5 lakhs. So, he can hire a tractor. This work id done by "Samadhan". It provides on demand services to farmers which saves time and money.

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