New Farm Laws to help farmers get remunerative price, says Bengal BJP Chief Dilip Ghosh

PTI, Dec 12, 2020, 7:55 PM IST

Amid protests by farmers in Delhi over the new farm laws, West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh on Saturday said the agriculture reform measures will help them get better access to markets and realise a higher price for their produce. Speaking at a party’s programme in Paschim Medinipur district, he said farmers in the state have been deprived of getting a remunerative price for their produce.

“Earlier, a farmer was forced to sell his produce to middlemen. They sold potato at Rs 5 per kg, while we are buying it at Rs 40. They are unable to sell their paddy at minimum support price,” he said. They have been compelled to sell paddy at Rs 1,200- 1,300 per quintal, instead of an MSP of over Rs 1,600, he said.

“The new farm laws will provide flexibility to farmers to sell their produce in markets where they get a better price,” Ghosh said. Thousands of farmers, mostly from Punjab and Haryana, are protesting against the new farm laws which they claim will dismantle the minimum support price (MSP) system.

They are protesting against the three new laws — Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020 and Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020. Enacted in September, these laws have been projected by the Centre as major reforms in the agriculture sector that will remove middlemen from the supply chain and allow farmers to sell anywhere in the country.