Protesting Help or Harm? The Plight of Indian Farmers
By Sharanya Swaminathan, 1/13/2021
On September 20, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party signed into effect three agricultural bills, igniting an uprising in the streets of Delhi and all around the world.
In order to grasp the anger of the farmers and their allies, it is crucial to first understand the history of the agricultural sector in India. Over half of India’s workforce is in the agriculture sector, with the majority of whom working as small-scale farmers. Policies were put in place in the 1960s that were heavily focused on food security. Then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi called for the growth of high-yielding crops, such as wheat. This industrialized the industry with the introduction of modernized methods of fertilization, irrigation, and new pesticides, leading many farmers to feel as if they were working at the behest of the government. Then in the 1990s, genetically modified seeds were introduced by large corporations, further driving farmers who were growing indigenous crop varieties into debt as they had to pay more for crop maintenance. To top it all off, the surplus of crops due to lack of demand often left farmers with no return on their investment. Over time, due to lack of change in policies, the farming sector has lacked public investment, with the stagnant rural incomes and lack of marketing alternatives making it difficult to advance.
What are the farmers currently protesting? The introduction of three new bills: The Farmer’s Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill.
The first bill is the Farmer’s Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill. This gives farmers the chance to deal with corporations and private buyers without the State’s Agricultural Produce Market Committee as the middle man. Farmers can now sell outside government controlled markets, known as Mandi’s, which was a market that ensured the regulation of prices. Finally, a system known as minimum support prices (MSP) would be ended with this bill.
The next bill is the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill. This bill focuses on pricing and encourages farmers to negotiate with corporations and private buyers. It also makes it difficult for farmers to challenge contract disputes in court. Several farmers are angered by this bill because they do not believe they have enough bargaining power to negotiate with powerful corporations.
Finally, the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill removes cereals, pulses, oilseeds, edible oils, onion, and potatoes from the current list of essential commodities, removing regulatory barriers under the current Essential Commodities Act. This aims to give farmers the freedom to produce, hold, move, and distribute their products without restrictions and ultimately modernize the food supply chain, removing stock holding limits. However, farmers are concerned because the majority of the farmers run small-scale operations, they would not be able to compete with larger corporations and would be taken for a ride when it comes to investors.
The government insists that the ratification of the three bills directly benefits farmers. Their goal is to create more freedom and give farmers a chance to take market prices into their own hands. They believe that these new policies will ultimately help the farmers in the long run and are a much needed change. The government-appointed Dalwai Committee recommended that these changes be made to shift the domestic agricultural sector from a supply-focused, government-led effort to a demand-focused and market-based system. Further, the government has said that they are open to amendments to address genuine concerns, but have definitively ruled out any possible repealing of these laws.
The farmers, on the other hand, have a different perspective. They believe this legislation will drive down their product prices, with no government standard price guarantee, allowing corporations to take over their livelihoods and exploitation to occur. Chinnaiah Jangam, an associate professor who studies the history of modern South Asia at Carleton University, believes that farmers have a legitimate fear of losing their ancestral lands to corporations, a concern that has already been actualized for many debt-ridden farmers. Farmers are also upset that these bills were passed without any inquiry or scrutiny from the Parliamentary Committee, which liberalized agriculture. Moreover, the average income of farmers is still at just over $1000 USD a year, meaning that they are not in a stable position to be open to fluctuations in the market or exploitation.
This anger and fear has led to peaceful protests in the streets of Delhi and all around the world. The #DelhiChalo protests have largely been led by Punjabi and Sikh farmers who are frustrated and want to spread awareness. However, despite the peaceful nature of these protests, protestors have been met with violence from the government. Despite attacks with tear gas, water cannons, concrete barricades, and even beating with batons, protestors are continuing to march forward. More than 1,500 telephone towers were vandalized in Punjab, and streets are filled with protestors, so much so that traffic cannot get through. People from France, Germany, the USCanada, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and more have all rallied to protest the bills and stand with the farmers.
India is the world’s largest producer, consumer, and exporter of spices such as pepper, turmeric, cardamom, chilli, ginger, coriander, and more. According to India’s Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority, they also are the primary exporter of Basmati rice, milk, as well as plants used for medicinal purposes. India is also the leading producer of cotton, according to the US Department of Agriculture. Essentially, these bills and protests affect people from all around the world, whether from the United States, China, Bangladesh, or the United Kingdom.
Much is still unclear as to the future of the agriculture industry in India. Organizations such as Khalsa Aid International are providing protestors with aid and necessities, and volunteers are collecting monetary donations for protestors in need. Farmers and citizens are continuing to mobilize to fight on the streets for their livelihoods and lands, the latter being especially important to farmers who have said that these lands contain the spirit of their ancestors.
In order to grasp the anger of the farmers and their allies, it is crucial to first understand the history of the agricultural sector in India. Over half of India’s workforce is in the agriculture sector, with the majority of whom working as small-scale farmers. Policies were put in place in the 1960s that were heavily focused on food security. Then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi called for the growth of high-yielding crops, such as wheat. This industrialized the industry with the introduction of modernized methods of fertilization, irrigation, and new pesticides, leading many farmers to feel as if they were working at the behest of the government. Then in the 1990s, genetically modified seeds were introduced by large corporations, further driving farmers who were growing indigenous crop varieties into debt as they had to pay more for crop maintenance. To top it all off, the surplus of crops due to lack of demand often left farmers with no return on their investment. Over time, due to lack of change in policies, the farming sector has lacked public investment, with the stagnant rural incomes and lack of marketing alternatives making it difficult to advance.
What are the farmers currently protesting? The introduction of three new bills: The Farmer’s Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill.
The first bill is the Farmer’s Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill. This gives farmers the chance to deal with corporations and private buyers without the State’s Agricultural Produce Market Committee as the middle man. Farmers can now sell outside government controlled markets, known as Mandi’s, which was a market that ensured the regulation of prices. Finally, a system known as minimum support prices (MSP) would be ended with this bill.
The next bill is the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill. This bill focuses on pricing and encourages farmers to negotiate with corporations and private buyers. It also makes it difficult for farmers to challenge contract disputes in court. Several farmers are angered by this bill because they do not believe they have enough bargaining power to negotiate with powerful corporations.
Finally, the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill removes cereals, pulses, oilseeds, edible oils, onion, and potatoes from the current list of essential commodities, removing regulatory barriers under the current Essential Commodities Act. This aims to give farmers the freedom to produce, hold, move, and distribute their products without restrictions and ultimately modernize the food supply chain, removing stock holding limits. However, farmers are concerned because the majority of the farmers run small-scale operations, they would not be able to compete with larger corporations and would be taken for a ride when it comes to investors.
The government insists that the ratification of the three bills directly benefits farmers. Their goal is to create more freedom and give farmers a chance to take market prices into their own hands. They believe that these new policies will ultimately help the farmers in the long run and are a much needed change. The government-appointed Dalwai Committee recommended that these changes be made to shift the domestic agricultural sector from a supply-focused, government-led effort to a demand-focused and market-based system. Further, the government has said that they are open to amendments to address genuine concerns, but have definitively ruled out any possible repealing of these laws.
The farmers, on the other hand, have a different perspective. They believe this legislation will drive down their product prices, with no government standard price guarantee, allowing corporations to take over their livelihoods and exploitation to occur. Chinnaiah Jangam, an associate professor who studies the history of modern South Asia at Carleton University, believes that farmers have a legitimate fear of losing their ancestral lands to corporations, a concern that has already been actualized for many debt-ridden farmers. Farmers are also upset that these bills were passed without any inquiry or scrutiny from the Parliamentary Committee, which liberalized agriculture. Moreover, the average income of farmers is still at just over $1000 USD a year, meaning that they are not in a stable position to be open to fluctuations in the market or exploitation.
This anger and fear has led to peaceful protests in the streets of Delhi and all around the world. The #DelhiChalo protests have largely been led by Punjabi and Sikh farmers who are frustrated and want to spread awareness. However, despite the peaceful nature of these protests, protestors have been met with violence from the government. Despite attacks with tear gas, water cannons, concrete barricades, and even beating with batons, protestors are continuing to march forward. More than 1,500 telephone towers were vandalized in Punjab, and streets are filled with protestors, so much so that traffic cannot get through. People from France, Germany, the USCanada, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and more have all rallied to protest the bills and stand with the farmers.
India is the world’s largest producer, consumer, and exporter of spices such as pepper, turmeric, cardamom, chilli, ginger, coriander, and more. According to India’s Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority, they also are the primary exporter of Basmati rice, milk, as well as plants used for medicinal purposes. India is also the leading producer of cotton, according to the US Department of Agriculture. Essentially, these bills and protests affect people from all around the world, whether from the United States, China, Bangladesh, or the United Kingdom.
Much is still unclear as to the future of the agriculture industry in India. Organizations such as Khalsa Aid International are providing protestors with aid and necessities, and volunteers are collecting monetary donations for protestors in need. Farmers and citizens are continuing to mobilize to fight on the streets for their livelihoods and lands, the latter being especially important to farmers who have said that these lands contain the spirit of their ancestors.