Acquisitions increased after Bihar abolished APMC mandis in 2006, says Nitish Kumar.
Bihar’s Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said today that the central government should allay the fears of farmers protesting the minimum support price (MSP), citing the experience of its own state of increased procurement since the abolition of government markets or mandis in 2006.
“The Center has proposed holding conversations with agitated farmers. Once they are seated on the other side of the table, it will be clear that fears about the MSP are unfounded,” the Chief Minister told reporters here.
He spoke on the sidelines of the unveiling of a 12.27 km long causeway connecting AIIMS, Patna1, with the town’s Digha village along the banks of the Ganges River, which is expected to facilitate travel between the south and north ends of the city, PTI. reported.
Chief Minister Kumar said Bihar had abolished the Agricultural Products Market Committee (APMC) mandis in 2006 and introduced a procurement system through primary agricultural credit societies.
“The acquisitions in Bihar, in fact, recovered only after that … I hope the Center explains to the farmers that the acquisitions will not be affected and the MSP system will not be eliminated,” said Kumar, who was Minister of Agriculture of the Union under the government of Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
For the past five days, thousands of farmers have been protesting across the country, especially in Punjab, against the new agricultural laws. They say they are ready to do whatever it takes to see the end of the three farm laws passed by parliament earlier this year.
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