Farmers’ Agitation in India Due to Audacious Farm Bill of 2020

Abstract

Farmers are doing primary and significant duty for the society by engaging in agriculture. They are tirelessly ploughing the field, planting the seed, watering the land and yielding crops. Production of cereals, pulses, fruits and vegetable are necessary to feed people of billion plus nation and ensuring food security. It is necessity of the government to provide necessary support with legislation of law, enactment of the same, crop insurance and provision of subsidy for agricultural inputs. There should be advancement in irrigation facility, application of biotechnology, credit facility, land reform and availability of market. But new framed agricultural reform act enraged the farmers and injected fear in their mind. Farmers feel apprehensive regarding the restructuring of the Indian agriculture. There is a shadow of uncertainty about annulment of minimum support price facility. It is presumed that new farm bill would take away Mandi facility which so far gave assurance to selling of crop. Although middle men were involved in the process, farmers were sanguine about selling of agricultural output with intermediation of them. Farmers so far enjoyed crop insurance and minimum support price for agricultural output. But newly passed bill in parliament spread tension among farmers about future uncertainties. Fear and ambiguity lingered with respect to corporate support and assurance. Loss of land and livelihood to corporate also gripped the minds. Question revolved about farmers wherewithal and whereabouts if corporates fail to buy crop or agricultural output. Like majority of Indian citizen, farmers are devoid of social security measure. Corporate indifference might cause grave loss for poor farmers in the absence of safety net. But sticking to this defunct system, would result in more harm than good for Indian farmers.