ITANAGAR, Sep 22: The state BJP has welcomed the contentious farm sector bills, terming them “revolutionary” for the betterment, security and benefit of the farmers of the country.
Addressing the media at the press club here on Tuesday, state BJP spokesman Dr Mohesh Chai said that the Farmers (Employment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Service Bill, 2020, and the Farmers Produce Trades and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, were “krantikari bills.”
Condemning the Congress MPs in the Rajya Sabha for raising their voice against the farm bills, rather that supporting the farmers-oriented bills, Dr Chai said that “the farm sector bills could only be possible under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”
Dr Chai said that the Farmers (Employment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Service Bill, 2020 would now allow the farmers to sell their agricultural produces outside the notified agricultural produce market committees.
“The bill will also remove the barriers in interstate trade and prohibit the state government from collecting tax from agricultural produces,” he said, adding that this was why there were protests against the bill by the opposition parties in various states and earlier in the Rajya Sabha.
Dr Chai said that prohibiting the state government from collecting market fee or tax from the farmers was the only reason why most of the opposition parties raised voices against the bill.
He said that the second bill, the Farmers Produce Trades and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, is related to “contract farming.” The bill provides for structural trade agreements for the sale and purchase of farm produces.
“Though there are few farmers in the state who are into contract farming, the bill will provide price assurance, protection of farmers against price exploitation, and there will not be any mechanism of price fixation,” Chai said.
He said even if a farmer under contract farming cannot meet the demand of the corporate, they can fulfill the demand in the next agricultural season, according to the bill.
“There won’t be any legal agreement on land but on the agricultural produce. Every legal protection to the farmers is being incorporated in the bill,” Dr Chai said, adding that even if there is any legal complicacy, the case should be solved locally within 30 days.
Dr Chai said that, under the leadership of Chief Minister Pema Khandu, the state government is “also availing all the benefits and necessary help to the local farmers to increase local agricultural produce.”
