Srinagar : As part of nation-wide protests against anti-farmer bills and electricity act amendments, J&K Kissan Tehreek held protest rallies across Jammu and Kashmir on Friday.
While maintaining social distancing norms, members of J&K Kisan Tehreek, held demonstrations in Press Colony Srinagar. They said the bills were aimed to help the corporate agri-businesses at the cost of poor farmer’s hard work.
While addressing the protest demonstration, General Secretary Kisan Tehreek Ghulam Nabi Malik said that these anti-farmer bills are meant to restructure our country’s agricultural economy in favour of big landlord corporate-traders nexus.
“The BJP Government now claims that the farm produce will be purchased at Minimum Support Price (MSP) while nowhere in the three legislations there is mention of assured purchase at MSP calculated as per C2+50%, i.e., at least 50 percent above the cost of production,” he said.
The three legislations are intended to finish off the APMC Mandis (Market Yards), Government’s role in procurement at MSP, allow corporates the freedom for hoarding and black-marketing and promote contract farming by corporate agribusinesses, he said.
He further said, “these bills have has pushed the farmers into a critical situation. If the ordinance had been in favour of the farmers the government would have discussed and revealed the contents of the bill to the nation. These Acts will mean complete withdrawal of the Government from procurement and put farmers at the mercy of corporate companies. It is aimed to facilitate profiteering by big players like Adani Wilmar, Reliance, Walmart, Birla, ITC etc.”
Malik expressed hope that the government will re-start the Market intervention Scheme at the earliest so that the fruit growers, who have suffered huge losses due to weather vagaries and other reasons since last year, can have a sigh of relief. Crop insurance should be made compulsory for this sector with low premium.
