Agriculture Ministry officials believe the state has simply played gallery by providing legal guarantee to the MSP, but it would compound the problem when private traders start to leave the state, resulting in losses for farmers who do not grow rice or wheat. the bills only covered these two crops.
Congress Leaders have argued that the bills will protect farmers from predatory private actors and ensure that they do not sell their produce insufficiently. “Of course, these two are important crops. However, farmers have also started switching to other crops, taking into account better returns over production costs. The absence of private traders means there is no support for farmers, ”said an official.
He was referring to the provisions of the state bill where private traders will have to pay a fee for trade outside APMC mandis, arguing that Punjab traders will not do business in the state if they find it beneficial to buy agricultural products from UP and MP. Agricultural experts have also tried to decode it from the market angle.
“The course taken by the Punjab government is only to earn political mileage. It is very clear that the implementation of certain provisions of the legislation proposed by the state will be difficult in the market of agricultural products, since the Center provides the financial resources for the purchase in MSP ”, said Sudhir Panwar, agricultural expert and former member of the UP planning commission.
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