Most farmers in Punjab, who have been pressing for repeal of the three laws altogether, said they needed three major assurances before returning to the negotiating table.
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| Farmers congregate during a protest against the new farm laws at Singhu (Delhi-Haryana Border) near New Delhi on Monday |
The central government and agrarian unions opposing a set of agricultural laws claiming that their livelihoods would be harmed are likely to resume talks held last week, with both Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and one of the farm unions on Monday The dominant stage indicated his wish. The conversation resumed.
Tomar told reporters in Delhi that the government was engaged in efforts to resume the negotiations that broke down after five rounds last week. "When a date is set, we will let you know," he said
Hours later, the All India Kisan Sangharsh Samiti (AIKSCC) - a joint forum of protesting farmers camping on the outskirts of Delhi - said it is ready for renegotiation but with some conditions.
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Most farmers in Punjab, who have been pressing for repeal of the three laws altogether, said they needed three major assurances before returning to the negotiating table.
One, the talks cannot be about old proposals, which have been rejected by agricultural unions. Two, the government should prepare a new agenda. Three, the discussion should focus on the repeal of agricultural laws.
The riders insist on the government to formulate an agenda acceptable to farmers. To ensure this, the government has reiterated that farmers will benefit from agricultural laws. On their part, farmers remained adamant on repealing the three laws, and on Monday went on hunger strikes across the country, blocking highways and demonstrating on the streets in protest.
“The government [is] repeatedly rejecting the old rejected argument. The farmers are ready for talks, but AICSCC secretary Avik Saha said the three Agriculture Act and the Electricity Amendment Bill 2020 would have to be withdrawn. Another leader of AIKSCC, Kavita Kuruganti, said that farmers are not refrained from talking again. "Therefore, if the government has sent the invitation, the agenda put there will be the key to any future negotiations."
Earlier in the day, Tomar met with a delegation of farmers from five states, who pledged their support for the laws, and said a meeting would be "in due course".
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“Our efforts are on to start negotiations. There will be talks. Tomar said that we are always open for discussion to resolve the issues of farmers.
“The government is informally talking to agricultural leaders over the phone. When things go out, a formal invitation with a revised invitation is likely to be re-sent, ”a person familiar with the development told HT, requesting anonymity.
A large-scale farmers' protest was called off by three laws pushed by the government in September that allow agribusiness to trade with minimal regulation, giving traders large amounts of food for economies of scale Storing commodities and new contracts allow agricultural regulations to be implemented. Farmers say the new rules favor large corporations to whom they will lose business and gradually end the system of state-fixed minimum prices. The protesters, after a meeting with Home Minister Amit Shah on 8 December, decided to call off further talks, claiming the deadlock.
The government on December 9 duly sent a written proposal to amend certain provisions of the laws for greater surveillance on markets, penalizing farmers for stubble burning, which causes pollution and instead of direct cash transfers to farmers Promises to provide subsidized electricity to, but the farm union will not stop its movement until those laws are completely repealed.
Both sides expressed a desire to explore ways of meeting, which is amidst heavy preoccupation with efforts to formulate a mutually agreed agenda, the official said.
“Why are thousands of farmers sitting outside in the cold? Only talk to the government. The government has ruled to repeal the laws. But we can still talk to see the light at the end of the tunnel, ”Saha said.
Yogendra Yadav, a senior leader of the movement said, "It is necessary to withdraw the three laws, but not enough."
Analysts say that economic reforms in large sectors such as labor and agriculture will always be challenging because unlike financial reforms, these sectors are about livelihoods.
"The government can suggest new institutions like a regulator for contract farming to gain the trust of farmers," said Soumya Kanti Ghosh, chief economic advisor to the group of State Bank of India, the country's largest lender.
In several states, there were clashes with police on farm groups and they protested against the laws.
Meanwhile, agricultural organizations from five states representing the All India Farmers Coordination Committee met Tomar for two hours.
This is the fourth group of farmers who have met the Minister of Agriculture to support the reforms, which have come under the control of a large-scale government against its move to liberalize the agricultural sector.
Tomar told the farm organisations that “intention and policy of the government are clear and farmers are already benefiting from the pro-farmer reforms which will help in increasing the income of farmers”.