Centre to table bill to repeal farm laws in Lok Sabha today

Narendra Singh Tomar, the Minister of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare will table the Farm Laws Repeal Bill, 2021 to annul the three farm laws in the Lok Sabha today.

Prime minister Narendra Modi, in his address to the nation on November 19, had announced the Centre's decision to repeal the farm laws.

The three farm laws which will be repealed with the passage of this bill are Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce Law, 2020; the Farmers Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Law, 2020; along with Amendment to the Essential Commodities Act.

Farmer organisations had been protesting against the farm reform laws since September last year—fearing the laws will eventually end the system of government procurement. Ever since the passage of the three farm laws, farmer groups had been protesting at various borders of Delhi, while also taking the protests in the hinterlands of Uttar Pradesh—which goes to polls in March next year.

While announcing the move, PM Modi appealed to farmers to end the stir. However, upping the ante, the farmer groups said that the protest will be withdrawn only when the Centre formulates a law on MSP.

The Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce Law, 2020 enabled the liberalisation of agriculture produce, marketing, and allowed farmers to sell their produce at places apart from their designated government mandis. The Farmers Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Law, 2020 facilitated contract farming—allowing them to ink supply contracts with private firms. The Essential Commodities Act was also amended to remove stock limits so that the procurers may buy from farmers freely.