Question mark over timing of govt step

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 17

The government’s intention to change laws relating to essential commodities and selling of agriculture produce has been questioned for its timing.

Though several economists, led by Ashok Gulati, have appreciated the Modi government for biting the bullet and hailed the decision to dilute the Agriculture Produce Marketing Committees (APMC) Act, others are not so sure.

Besides questioning the purpose of making futuristic police announcements when the need of the hour is cash transfer to farmers and a bonus on their rabi crop, experts are apprehensive about the contours of an alternate structure that will be imposed without consultations with farmers and traders.

Bihar abolished the APMC Act over a decade back. Logically, farmers should be discovering new price highs in the absence of a system cited by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman as exploitative and monopolistic. “But why is it that in this season wheat production in Haryana is subdued? Or more rice comes to Haryana mills than is produced in the state?” asks noted agriculture expert Devinder Sharma, before answering the question: it is because the MSP in Haryana and Punjab are higher.

Sharma felt the pandemic should not have been the time to push for such far-reaching reforms that require extensive consultations.