September 14, 2020
Saugata Ray opposes the introduction of The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020
FULL TRANSCRIPT
Under Rule 72 (1) of the Rules of Procedure of the Lok Sabha, I oppose the introduction of the Under Rule 72 (1) of the Rules of Procedure of the Lok Sabha, I oppose the introduction of the The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020. Through this Bill, the Central government has overridden the State-legislated Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee Acts. The worst affected states are Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, and any other state that has invested heavily in public procurement and assured minimum support to farmers.
The suspicion is that the Central government is attempting to implement the controversial recommendations of the Shanta Kumar Committee, which will have the effect of diluting public procurement, the public distribution system, the principle of minimum support price and food security.
Sir, farmers are seeing this as an effort to jettison the minimum support price mechanism and the government procurement of foodgrains. That is why farmers in Haryana are up in arms and are agitating. The Punjab assembly has taken a resolution against this Bill. I shall request the Minister, who is otherwise a mild man, to not to push through this Bill.
