Team News Riveting
New Delhi, December 14
The office bearers from different States representing the All India Kisan Coordination Committee met Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and backed the farm bills that farmers of Punjab and Haryana had been opposing.
The meeting took place in Krishi Bhavan today. Farmer leaders from Telangana, Maharashtra, Haryana, Tamil Nadu and Bihar had a detailed discussion with the Agriculture Minister.
They were convinced that the recent Farm Acts were for the benefit of farmers across India and would save farmers from the clutches of the middlemen who exploited farmers over the years, government spokesperson said.
They were of the opinion that the laws would ensure freedom of choice to farmers in sale and purchase of agri-produce and allow barrier-free trade and commerce outside premises of Agriculture Produce Marketing Committees. They further added that giving farmers the right to enter into agreements with the buyer would enable prior price determination and transfer the risk of market unpredictability from the farmer to the sponsor. These farm reforms, they felt, would also enable farmers to access modern technology, better seeds and other inputs, besides attracting private investment into the agriculture sector.
More than seven thousand NGOs work under the umbrella of the All India Kisan Coordination Committee and their members will all rise up to support the recently enacted Farm Acts. This assurance was given to the Agriculture Minister by the All India Kisan Coordination Committee representatives. They expressed their gratitude to the Union Government for enacting these Farm Acts and urged not to give in to the demands of the agitators to roll them back. They also appealed that the Government should continue to educate the people about the benefit of these laws through advertisements and through training programmes.
Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar clarified that the intention and policy of the government are clear and farmers are already benefiting from the pro-farmer reforms which will help in increasing the income of farmers. The Government is always ready to engage in dialogue.
