Trust Deficit - Changes to Farm Laws

Related articles: Farm Reform Laws; Farm Reform Laws - Concerns;

What is the issue?

• Heeding to the demands of the farmers, after the talks, the Centre has offered to make some changes to the farm laws.
• However, some long-standing demands and the changes much needed remain unaddressed.

What is the recent development?

• After dismissing the protests as ill-informed and motivated initially, the Centre has offered to make some changes to the laws.
• But the farmers have now called for a Bharat Bandh.

• Farmers who are protesting are sceptical of the government's claim that these laws would make agriculture more lucrative and secure by allowing market forces to play.
• There is a fear that the new regime will dismantle the system of procurement under MSP and leave farmers at the mercy of corporations.

What commitments has the Centre made now?

• Responding to the concerns, the Centre has suggested -
  1. safeguards to prevent land alienation via contract farming
  2. strengthening the State-run mandi system
  3. ensuring mandi system's equal footing with private buyers through equalising taxes
  4. allowing grievance redress in civil courts rather than just in the offices of Sub-Divisional Magistrates
  5. ensuring proper verification of private traders

What are the unaddressed concerns?

• The Centre has not offered a legal guarantee of MSP.
• The question of power subsidies remains contentious.
• The present government has a declared policy of ensuring farm prices that are at least 50% more than the input costs.
• But this has remained more an intent than reality.
• The discussion has also been disturbed by the government’s refusal to include rental value of the land in input costs.

Why are farmers concerned?

• India had ensured substantial food stock and a robust distribution mechanism that covers the entire country.
• But agriculture has to remain environmentally sustainable and remunerative for farmers.
• Significant challenges have now emerged with regard to these benchmarks.
• There have been changes in land acquisition laws and there is general thrust towards industrialisation.
• These, together with the pressure on agriculture subsidies, have increased the feeling of vulnerability of farmers in recent years.
• The abrupt changes in the sector brought in through the three laws have aggravated the trust deficit of the government.

What is the way forward?

• Food security is considered a component of national security by all countries.
• Apart from the fresh amendments, the Centre must consider a legal guarantee for MSP.
• The incentive structures and cropping pattern has to be reworked in order to account for changes in water availability and changing dietary requirements.
• The Centre must strive for reaching an agreement with the farmers that addresses their concerns.

Source: The Hindu