On the 27 September 2020, Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India, led the National Democratic Alliance to implement three agriculture acts. The reported aim of these acts is agricultural reform through establishing an open market policy, in which farmers will be allowed to sell their produce directly to agricultural businesses instead of government-controlled markets. However, the enactment of these Acts has served as the catalyst for the protest of almost 200 million Indian farmers, who are demanding its repeal.
THE THREE ACTS
1.) The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce Act under which the farmer can sell his finished crops to any trader without the requirement to sell in APMC mandi of their own designated area. This will promote the government’s aim of ‘one nation, one market.’
2.) The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services which attempts to protect and empower farmers to engage with large-scale wholesalers, as crop prices must be mutually agreed.
3.) The Amendment in Essential Commodities Act 1955 which contains a list of essential commodities that cannot be bought at low rates and stored in large numbers, often leading to the illegal trade of scarce foods during national disasters or emergencies through the black market. Under the new amendment, fundamental agricultural products such as potatoes, pulses and cereals have been removed from the list; reducing the future food security of poorer communities.
THE REASONS BEHIND THE PROTESTS
The new agricultural laws will have a negative impact on the lives of rural Indian farmers, as the contentious reforms will ease regulation of the sale, storage, and pricing of produce; a protection previously afforded to Indian farmers for decades. Less regulation on the consistency of food prices will ultimately result in 40% of the population having lower food security and a fluctuating income, as government-controlled markets will be replaced with private industries.
"First, farmers will feel attracted towards these private players, who will offer a better price for the produce. The government mandis will pack up meanwhile and after a few years, these players will start exploiting the farmers. That's what we fear," Multan Singh Rana, a farmer in the northern state of Punjab, said.
However, Indian farmers have refused to accept this “death-warrant,” and surrender their livelihoods to the influence of larger corporations. As a result, joined by their families and friends, over 200 million farmers have tirelessly protested whilst braving water cannons, tear gas, and blockage from entry to the capital. They have set up camps and slept several months in the open and bitter cold. Their determination for the repeal of these laws underlines the urgency for the government to prioritise the livelihoods of rural farmers.
In addition, the protests have led to the formation of Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) in November 2020. As a cooperation of over 40 Indian farmers unions, it is a united front aiming to increase the influential power of the farmers, through coordinating their demands against the implementation of the ‘anti-farmer’ acts. The formation of the Union has been a pivotal moment in the successes of the protest, as they increased political attention and organised eleven rounds of talks with the government to repeal the three farm bills, as well as implement a law which will secure a minimum support price for 23 crops’.
THE GOVERNMENT RESPONSE
The Indian government has attempted to alleviate the living conditions of rural farmers in the past, which is required given the fact half of Indians work on farms despite farming only making up 1/6 of the GDP. In recent years, self-help schemes have been issued at federal and state level- subsidies for fertilisers and seeds as well as special credit schemes. In 2019, the federal government announced a direct cash transfer scheme targeting 80 million farmers: under this scheme, the government provides income support of 6,000 rupees (£61) per year. Devinder Sharma believed in the improvement of farmers’ income this scheme had, stating it was a “good step in the right direction”.
Nevertheless, this improvement has ceased in light of the government’s poor efforts to fulfil the demands of repeal. The farmer leaders did not accept the government’s proposal “to suspend the farm laws for one and a half years,” reveals Joginder Singh Ugrahan, president of the Bharatiya Kisan Union. In light of the 147 deaths of protesting farmers so far, SKM has stated that they refuse to accept any compromise other than a complete repeal of all three acts, as “their sacrifice will not go in vain and we will not go back without the repealing of these farm laws”.
The situation in India illustrates the government’s refusal to acknowledge the needs of Indian farmers, manifested through the prioritisation of capitalism and profitability of global industries over their own citizens. It is vital that deep structural reforms of Indian agriculture are implemented, as doing so is the first step to improving the livelihood of the rural farmers.
Beatrice is a second-year Law student at the University of Manchester hoping to qualify as a solicitor. She is currently working as a Legal Pharmaceutical Affairs Associate, with her main interests being in international and medical law.