Will States and their Agricultural Produce Market Committees be impacted? What does it mean for government procurement?
The story so far: Farmers have taken to the streets, protesting against three Bills on agriculture market reforms that were passed by Parliament last week and will become laws once they are signed by the President. In Punjab and Haryana, bandhs were observed, with blocked roads and mass rallies. Opposition parties and farmers groups across the political spectrum have expressed concern that the laws could corporatise agriculture, threaten the current mandi network and State revenues and dilute the system of government procurement at guaranteed prices.
What are the three Bills?
The Bills which aim to change the way agricultural produce is marketed, sold and stored across the country were initially issued in the form of ordinances in June. They were then passed by…