The Indian Government introduced three new farm Bills last year which irked some groups of farmers. The new laws encourage contract farming but marginalise protectionist agricultural market systems and institutions.
The families of some Gujaratis, living in Australia, are still working in agriculture back in hometowns.
Deven Patel (21), a student at the Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, comes from a small town of Chaklasi in Kheda district of Gujarat.
He says, "Agriculture has been the main occupation of my family for generations. My parents are still in the farming of potato."
Deven supports the new Bills because he believes that it will encourage entrepreneurship in agriculture.
"Young generation is moving away from agriculture for corporate jobs. With corporates entering agriculture, youth will also return to farming. They will be able to use their technical and managerial skills. It will help agriculture develop better," says Deven.
Farmer leader Gurnaam Singh Chidoni with other leaders addressing over farmer protest against farm bills Source: ANI
Similarly, Krunal Patel comes from a tobacco growers' family in the Charotar region of Gujarat. A resident of Melbourne, Krunal says, "We have been into contract farming since a long time."
"My forefathers were pioneers of chicory farming in Gujarat. We process coffee beans for the leading coffee brands in India," he says.
Krunal believes that the farmers will get the structured legal framework in contract farming to protect their rights through the new Bills.
However, he advocates for an inclusive policy which would be fair for protesting farmers too. "The policymakers must listen to the woos of protesting farmers and make provisions to protect them," says Krunal.
Gujarat based Dr Kanubhai Kalsariya has been associated with several farm agitations in the past. He alleges the government paves the way for the big corporates in agriculture, resulting in small farmers' exploitation.
Dr Kalsariya is a former Member of Legislative Assembly in Gujarat. He was a member of the Bhartiya Janata Party which is ruling in the State and at Centre.
"Instead of fulfilling farmers' demands, the government is burdening them with new laws. The new laws were passed hurriedly in the Parliament amid the crisis of Covid-19 pandemic without debates," he says.
He claims that the state government suppressed farmers' voice by not allowing them to stage protests. "The farmers' unions wanted to join the ongoing protests in North India, but the local authorities prevented them," alleges Dr Kalsariya.
The farmers from various parts of the country are protesting at outskirts of the national Capital after the Parliament passed three laws in September 2020, namely;
- The Farmers' Produce Trade And Commerce (Promotion And Facilitation) Act, 2020
- The Farmers (Empowerment And Protection) Agreement On Price Assurance And Farm Services Act, 2020
- The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020
Protesting farmers have been receiving support from Indians across the globe. However, those supporting the farm Bills are encouraging for meaningful debates. Friends of Perth recently organised a debate on the issue discussing the pros and cons of the Bills.
A resident of Perth, Sanjay Patel, has seen the benefits of contracting with local farmers closely.
He runs a popular fast-food chain franchise, and his company procures fresh vegetables from local farmers in Perth under the contract farming.
The prices are fixed mutually. It protects farmers and us as purchasers from price volatility during the year. I believe Indian farmers can benefit with such models too, he says.
"We questioned some protesters at the office of Consulate General of India a few weeks ago. We found that they were not aware of the actual provisions and implications of the Bills and hence, there should be a fair amount of debate on the issue," he says.
Explaining the Bills' implications, Arjun Dasaniya, a student of Economics from Gujarat, refers his report of 2019 surveying over 100 farmers.
He says, "The new laws can make agriculture lucrative for investment, can bring greater autonomy to farmers, can modernise farming and increase employment."
He also cautions about the Bills' flip side, including the risk of farmers' exploitation by private players and no guarantee of Minimum Support Price (MSP) to farmers for their produce.
Minister of Agriculture N S Tomar meets All India Farmers Coordination Committee officials. Source: ANI
On standoff between the government and farmers, Arjun says, "The underlying issues are mistrust towards government, awareness about the provisions and fear of losing MSP. All these issues should be addressed with the dialogues."
How many farmers would benefit and how many would be disadvantaged due to the new Bills is unknown. So far, there are no signs of agreement between the protesters and the government.
