What Is Farm Bill? Why Are Farmers Protesting Against It

Why are Indian farmers protesting? The most important question so far has attracted several global leaders, human rights and environmental activists, and even the UN Human Rights Council. It got massive attention worldwide for so many reasons despite that, many are still unaware of the base of protest. New farm bill 2020 led to the beginning of one of the longest protests in the world’s history.

Learn what is the new farm bill? How does it affect thousands of farmers across the nation? And why has the government not stepped back even after a year-long protest?

What Is The New Farm Bill 2020? Explained From The Scratch

Bhartiya Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait and several thousands of farmers disagree with the Government saying it will destroy their livelihood. How true is it? To understand this, one should know the pros and cons of farm laws.

5 Benefits Of New Farm Laws

All three reforms mentioned in the bill aim to benefit the farmers of India in certain ways. Here are the benefits of farms law described:

Disadvantages Of New Farm Bill 2020

If there are so many benefits of the farms' law, why are Indian farmers protesting? What are they afraid of and why is it called a ‘death warrant’ for farmers?

Following disadvantages of farms law are the reasons:

1. End the MSP- Earlier farmers used to get a minimum support price for their produce which proves beneficial in case of crop failure. New bills will remove the backbone of farmers, bring huge falls in prices, and only benefit buyers forcing them to not buy the crops in such circumstances.
2. Loss of State Revenue- The mandi fees will no longer be applicable that will harm the State Government's revenue. Punjab alone earns around Rs 3500 crore from mandi tax.
3. Make APMCs unviable- Mandis and other notified Agricultural produce market committeeswill lose their existence if farm laws are implemented. They fear it would benefit only private firms and investors who may replace the APMCs in near future.
4. Contract Farming- The new law allows farmers and marketers to engage in direct agreement which is assumed to affect the livelihood of small and marginal farmers.
5. Exploitation of Farmers- It is said that big marketers, exporters, and wholesalers may exploit those who are illiterate, small, and unaware of the real benefits of farm laws.

The government and Major leaders of protest have been involved in several rounds of talks to resolve the issue and slow down the fire of protest but failed to reach any conclusion.