Thiruvananthapuram : The State Assembly on Thursday, passed resolution opposing the there agri-marketing laws, the centre enacted in September. A special session of Assembly held today passed the resolution. It is aimed to be gesture of solidarity for the escalating farmers’ protest at the national capital.
The resolution was passed united, in one voice with BJP legislator O Rajagopal too acknowledging the content.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan presented the motion and said the new farm laws plunge farming community into deep crisis. These laws that endanger the country’s food security system must be scrapped, the resolution demanded. It also pointed out that Kerala will be substantially impacted if the protests were to extend still longer. The resolution emphasised absolute need to repeal the contentious laws.
The amendment to farm laws are goaled for corporate interests, said CM. The new laws will create serious crises for the agricultural sector. They will destroy the bargaining capacity of the farming community. As a consequence to the new laws, when Centre rolls back its fair price guarantee to farmers, there will be widespread crisis among growers, said CM.
The three new laws were passed in the parliament when the agricultural sector as a whole is already in crisis. The laws, when passed, immediately triggered fear among farmers of losing the minimum support price even for essential foodgrain.
Also, a major concern revolves around the growers’ bargaining power which would be considerably diminished when faced with powerful corporates. The new laws is bereft of provisions to protect farmers. And, farmers lack resources to fight litigations against mighty corporates.
Presently, we have a system where government renders minimum support price to farmers to procure essential foodgrain they produce and offloads them to required parties. The new laws seek to change that and empower corporates to play that role minus assurance of fair price to the farmers.
Another pivotal aspect is the country’s food security. When government steps back from its function of procuring and storing farm produce, the situation will give rise to hoarding and notorious black marketeering. Distribution of foodgrain and related food security will thus become jeopardised. And, centre’s removal of pulses and grams from essential commodities list, will add to the crisis.
The session is one of utmost importance, the Speaker had said at the beginning. Coalition party leaders who spoke on the subject included : KC Joseph, TA Ahmed Kabeer, Mathew T Thomas, PJ Joseph, Mani C Kappan, Anoop Jacob, O Rajagopal, Kadanpally Ramachandran, Ganesh Kumar and P Siraj.
