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Agri ordinances: Five farm bodies to hold protests across Haryana today
Farm leaders have termed the latest ordinances anti-farmer
Agitated over the Centre’s three ordinances in the agriculture sector, farmers and commission agents in Haryana have decided to hold statewide protests on Monday.
Five farmers’ bodies under the banner of Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) and Arhtiya Associations are scheduled to hold tractor marches with black flags in all districts of the state.
Farm leaders have termed the latest ordinances anti-farmer as they claimed that the government wanted to allow big corporate houses to purchase the produce at their own prices.
“In the name of reforms, the government has framed policies to allow the private traders buy agriculture produce directly from the farmers. This will eliminate the competition from the markets, forcing the farmers to sell their produce to these private traders at their own prices,” said BKU state president Gurnam Singh Chaduni.
“Moreover, by bringing such laws, the government wants to shut mandis and end the minimum support price (MSP) system. It’ll also give a boost to the black-marketing,” he added.
Chaduni said all farmers, commission agents and labourers associated with the grain markets will be joining the protest.
He appealed to the farmers to protest peacefully and not block any road or rail traffic.
The farm leaders also threatened to intensify the agitation if the government failed to withdraw these three ordinances, and sought support from the political parties.
As per the information, BKU leaders will hold a meeting of all farm leaders in Kaithal on July 30 to decide further strategy of the agitation.
Meanwhile, the government has described the three ordinances — Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Ordinance, 2020; Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Ordinance, 2020; and Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Ordinance, 2020 — as the ‘biggest-ever’ agriculture marketing reforms that would create an environment where farmers and traders will have the ability of free choice of sale and purchase of agricultural products.
