Punjab CM calls all-party meet on ordinances related to farm sector

Punjab Congress chief Sunil Jakhar said on Saturday that the Punjab CM has called an all-party meeting on June 24 over the issue of three ordinances related to the agriculture sector, recently passed by the centre.

Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has called an all-party meeting on June 24 over the issue of three ordinances related to the agriculture sector, recently passed by the Centre.

"Views of all the parties will be taken to arrive at the consensus that these ordinances were against the interest of the farming community and we should approach the Centre and the prime minister over this issue," state Congress Chief Sunil Jakhar said on Saturday.

He said that farming communities were up against this 'Kala Kanoon' (black law) and they have vehemently opposed these ordinances.

"Under these laws, the efforts are being made to hand over the rights of farmers to the multinationals and big corporates," he alleged and expressed fear that the Narendra Modi government had decided to "disband" the minimum support price (MSP) mechanism with these ordinances under a "planned move.

The Centre recently passed three ordinances --the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Ordinance, Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Ordinance, and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Ordinance.

The Centre had said these would transform the farm sector and help raise farmers' income.

However, the Congress government in Punjab had said these ordinances were completely against farmers and would badly hit the agrarian state.

The chief minister has already appealed to Prime Minister Modi to review three ordinances and also warned that it could pave the way for disbanding the MSP regime as well as the food grain procurement regime, triggering unrest among the state's farmers.

The Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion & Facilitation) Ordinance 2020allows barrier-free trade in agriculture produce outside the notified APMC (Agriculture Produce Marketing Committees)mandis.

Whereas, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Ordinance 2020 empowers farmers to engage with processors, aggregators, wholesalers, large retailers and exporters through advanced agreements on pre-agreed prices.

The amendment to the Essential Commodities Act was meant to deregulate food items, including cereals, pulses and onion.

(PTI REPORT)