The Minister of Agriculture, Narendra Singh Tomar, and the Minister of Railways, Food and Consumer Affairs, Piyush Goyal, started talks with a delegation of representatives of farmers from Punjab, protesting against a set of laws recently passed to liberalize the agricultural sector , in Vigyan Bhawan, the capital of the country. Friday.
At least 40 leaders from various farmer bodies, including members of the All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee, an umbrella platform spearheading the protests, are taking part in the talks, the first meeting that farmer agitators hold with ministers. of the cabinet.
This is the government’s second attempt to negotiate with farmers and break an impasse following farmer agitation in some states, particularly Punjab, against the Center’s initiative to open agricultural markets in the country.
Agriculture Secretary Sanjay Agarwal had met with a delegation of farmers on October 14, after inviting them to talk, to convince them to end their protest, but the meeting ended in a stalemate.
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The ongoing talks appear to be an attempt by the government to adapt to a precondition set by agricultural leaders during their meeting with the agriculture secretary on October 14 that any conversation must take place in the presence of Union ministers and not only in the bureaucratic office. level.
Farmers in Punjab have launched protests, blocking rail tracks and road transport, since the government enacted three agricultural sector laws in September, creating a key political challenge for the Narendra Modi government.
Together, the three laws allow agricultural companies to trade freely in agricultural products by easing restrictions, allow private traders to store essential commodities for future sales, and establish new rules for contract farming.
Farmers protesting these changes say the reforms could make them vulnerable to exploitation, erode their bargaining power and weaken the government’s minimum support price (MSP) system, which offers growers mainly government guaranteed prices. for wheat and rice.
Modi’s government has said the reforms were not related to the MSP system, which it said would continue to exist. Farmers, however, are not convinced.
“The talks are on and they are about complex issues. We will be in a position to comment only when they are done, ”said Avik Saha, secretary of the Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee for All India, who is participating in the meeting.
Farmers’ organizations are likely to push for the MSP system to become law, which is high on their agenda.
On October 30, the Minister of Food and Consumer Affairs, Piyush Goyal, and the Minister of Agriculture, Narendra Tomar, in interaction with reporters, said that “the door of the Center was open for talks with farmers.” They had said that the new reforms would allow farmers greater access to markets and stimulate investment in the sector.
The government is likely to issue a statement once the talks conclude, an official said.
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