“The MSP (Minimum Support Price) will not be touched, no changes will be made,” he said.
“People have reservations about MSP. I would like to reiterate that the MSP system will continue and we will ensure it to farmers,” Tomar responded to farmer leaders during the meeting.
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Furthermore, during the meeting, peasant leaders also suggested to the government that a special session of Parliament be convened and the new agricultural laws be abolished.
The meeting of peasant leaders with the central government concluded. The next meeting is scheduled for Saturday, December 5.
The fourth round of talks began around noon amid continued protests from farmers seeking to repeal farm laws.
“Some points have been raised in previous meetings and in today’s meeting. The farmers’ unions are mainly concerned about these. The government has no ego, it was discussing with the farmers with an open mind. The farmers are concerned that the new laws put an end to the Agricultural Products Market Committee (APMC), “Tomar said.
Tomar assured farmers that the government will consider the possibility of APMC becoming further strengthened and increasing its use. “The new laws establish provisions for private mandis outside the scope of APMC. Therefore, we will also contemplate having an equal tax for private mandis and mandis under the AMPC Law,” he said.
“In the new law, it has been established that farmers can file their complaints with the SDM court. The farmers’ unions feel that the SDM court is a lower court and should be allowed to go to court. The government will consider this lawsuit. “, said the minister said after the meeting concluded.
They also raised concerns about a Stubble Burning Ordinance and the Electricity Act. “The government is open to considering and discussing these issues as well,” he added.
At the meeting it was suggested that if the trade takes place outside the scope of mandi, it will be done on the basis of the PAN card, which can be easily acquired by anyone today. Therefore, the merchant must be registered. “We will also make sure that the merchant signs up,” Tomar said.
“The government has given indications on MSP. It seems that their position on MSP will be fine. The talks have advanced a bit,” said Rakesh Tikait, spokesman for Bharatiya Kisan Union after the meeting.
Thousands of farmers have been camping on the Singhu and Tikri borders of the national capital for the past eight days as part of their protest against the laws.
Together with Tomar, the Minister of Railways, Trade and Food, Piyush Goyal, and the Minister of State for Commerce, Som Parkash, who is a Parliamentarian from Punjab, are holding talks with representatives of the farmer groups in Vigyan Bhawan.
The reports also suggested that during the meeting, Goyal told farmers’ representatives that a police escort will be sent to the next meeting.
The government said the meeting started in the afternoon and discussions are taking place in a cordial atmosphere.
On December 1, talks between the two sides ended in a stalemate after farmer groups rejected the government’s suggestion of a new committee to examine the issues raised by protesting farmers.
The government had rejected the demand to repeal the laws and asked farmers’ bodies to identify specific issues related to the recently enacted laws and submit them by December 2 for consideration and discussion on Thursday.
Enacted in September, the laws have been presented by the government as major reforms in the agricultural sector by cutting out middlemen and allowing farmers to sell anywhere in the country.
However, protesting farmers worried that the new laws would eliminate the safety cushion of a minimum subsistence price (MSP) and a procurement system, while rendering the system ineffective. mandi system that ensures profits for the various actors in the agricultural sector.
On Wednesday, agitated farmers demanded that the Center convene a special session of Parliament and repeal the Trade in Agricultural Products and Trade (Promotion and Facilitation) Act of 2020; the Farmers Agreement (Empowerment and Protection) on Price Guarantee and Agricultural Services Law, 2020; and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act 2020.
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