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Odisha govt approves re-promulgation of farm reform ordinance amid farmers’ stir
The ordinance also seeks to remove geographical restrictions on sale of agricultural produce and allow farmers to sell their produce anywhere within the state.
Even as the agitation by farmers demanding repeal of three farm laws rages on across the country, the Naveen Patnaik government on Tuesday evening decided to re-promulgate the ordinance to reform the Odisha Agricultural Produce Markets Amendment Act to enable geographically restriction-free trade and transaction of agricultural produce including livestock across the state.
The state cabinet which met under the chairmanship of chief minister Naveen Patnaik Tuesday evening, gave assent to the re-promulgation of the Odisha Agricultural Produce and Livestock Marketing (promotion and facilitation) Ordinance for the third time, enabling the state to move ahead with the abolition of notified market area in so far as enforcement of regulation by Agricultural Produce and Livestock Market Committee (APLMC) was concerned.
The ordinance would also help the government create an environment for setting up and operating private market yards and farmer consumer market yards (Krushak Bazar), sub-market yard and market sub yard with the aim to enhance competition for the farmer's produce to the advantage of farmers.
The ordinance also seeks to remove geographical restrictions on sale of agricultural produce and allow farmers to sell their produce anywhere within the state. It also seeks to promote e-trading to enhance transparency in trade operations and integration of markets across geographies.
The Odisha Agricultural Produce and Livestock Marketing (promotion and facilitation) Ordinance framed around Centre’s Agricultural Produce and Livestock Marketing (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2017 is aimed at bringing comprehensive market reforms in the agriculture sector.
The ordinance approved by the state Cabinet for re-promulgation on Tuesday was supposed to be brought in as a Bill in the last assembly session in September last year along with the Odisha Agricultural Produce and Livestock Contract Farming and Services (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill. But the government developed cold feet due to the opposition to the three farm reform laws passed by the Narendra Modi government.
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Farmer leader Lingaraj, who has been vociferous in his opposition to the Central farm laws as well as the state's ordinances on agriculture, said the Naveen Patnaik government's decision to re-promulgate the ordinance to repeal the Odisha Agricultural Produce Markets Amendment Act showed that the party is in a bind.
"It clearly wants to junk the marketing yards as they have proved to be its bugbear with farmers all over the state accusing the government of inefficient paddy procurement. However, it does not publicly want to be seen on the same side as the BJP. I don't know if the government can bring it as a Bill in the Budget session this month. The ordinance is just a way to keep the legislation alive in case it fails to bring it up as a Bill," said Lingaraj.
As agriculture falls under the state list of the Constitution, the Centre has been urging the states to amend the respective APMC acts to free agricultural markets from the clutches of politicized market committees and infuse investments and competition. In November 2019, the 15th Finance Commission headed by N. K. Singh in its report had said that states which enact and implement all features of the Model Agricultural Produce and Livestock Marketing (Promotion & Facilitation) Act, 2017 will be eligible for certain financial incentives.
