EXERICISE :06

FARMERS AGITATION AND ITS IMPACT ON FARM

PRODUCT
 Sri Krishna Arts and Science College
Coimbatore – 641 008
Department of Commerce B.Com AF & M.COM IB

Course Code: 22AEC58 Course Title: Capstone Project

Rubrics for REPORT/ESSAY

39-
Criteria and Weighting 100-70 69-60 59-50 49-40 Score
30
Knowledge and Understanding
(10%)
Research (25%)

Analysis (30%)

Discussion (25%)

Presentation, formatting,
referencing, bibliography (10%)

Total Marks
INTRODUCTION:

Farmers' agitation is the collective protests and campaigns they engage in to call for more
equitable treatment, better living conditions, and more benevolent agricultural laws and practises.
These protests are frequently the result of complaints about low crop prices, poor resource
availability, debt burden, problems with land acquisition, or unfavorable government policies
that harm the farming community.

Agitation among farmers is important:

Farmers are the foundation of any country's economy since they provide the food and raw
materials needed for daily life and industrial processes. The difficulties farmers confront, which
might affect food security and economic stability, are brought to light by their activism .Social
Justice: Farmers in developing nations frequently experience socioeconomic inequalities, and
their demonstrations call for fair treatment, adequate remuneration, and improved conditions. A
number of rallies and demonstrations by Indian farmers are referred to as the "farmer agitation."
In late 2020 and early 2021, it attracted a lot of attention and continued to have an effect on the
sociopolitical climate of the nation. Three divisive agriculture legislation adopted by the Indian
government in September 2020 served as the main focal points of the protests. The Act to
Promote and Facilitate Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce Act on Price Assurance and Farm
Services for Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) The Act to Modify Essential
CommoditiesAccording to the government, the purpose of these regulations was to liberalise the
agriculture industry by enabling farmers to sell their products directly to consumers and contract
farming with private businesses. Its goal was to give farmers better access to markets and
prospects for increased .

IMPACT ON FARM PRODUCTS:

Supply Chain Disruption: Farmer protests may result in roadblocks or other obstructions that
prevent the movement of agricultural products from rural areas to metropolitan markets or export
hubs. This may lead to a lack of agricultural products in some areas and higher consumer costs.
Price Variations: Agricultural production and distribution may be affected by farmer protests or
strikes, creating market volatility. These changes can cause price volatility for agricultural goods,
which can have an impact on both farmers’ incomes and consumers’ budgets.

Waste and spoilage: If protests cause a halt to agricultural activity, perishable farm products like
fruits and vegetables may go bad because there aren’t enough facilities for timely harvesting or
storage. Farmers may suffer significant losses as a result of this.

2020–2021 Indian farmers' protest:

The three farm acts that were passed by the Indian Parliament in September 2020 were the target
of the 2020–2021 Indian farmers' protest. Numerous farmer unions and politicians from the
opposition have referred to the legislation, often known as the Farm Bills as "anti-farmer laws"
because they would abandon farmers to the "mercy of corporations."Most of the protests were
peaceful. In order to ensure that corporations could not control prices, the protestors also sought
the creation of a minimum support price (MSP) bill. However, the Union Government insisted
that the rules would make it simple for farmers to sell their produce directly to large consumers
and claimed that the protests are the result of false information.Farmer suicides and low
agricultural incomes are related endemic legacy problems. Unions started holding local protests
soon after the legislation were adopted, primarily in Punjab state. Following two months of
demonstrations, farmer unions, primarily from Punjab and neighboring Haryana, launched the
"Let's Go to Delhi" movement, in which tens of thousands of union members marched towards
the capital. To stop the demonstrators from entering Haryana and then Delhi, the Indian
government ordered the police and law enforcement of various states to stop them using water
cannons, batons, and tear gas. A statewide general strike in solidarity of the farmers took place in
November 2020, with thousands assembling at various border crossing points on their route to
Delhi

IMPACT OF FARMERS IN INDIA:

Through greenhouse gas emissions and the conversion of non-agricultural areas like forests into
agricultural land, agriculture plays a role in climate change. Between 13% and 21% of the
world's greenhouse gas emissions come from the agriculture, forestry, and land use sector.
The industry contributes over 17% of India's GDP and employs 49.6% of the country's labor
force, which is frequently seasonal, underemployed, and underpaid. India is a major producer of
cereals, sugar, milk, fruits, vegetables, eggs, and spices because to its extensive and diverse
agricultural industry.

Sector Agriculture. The Indian economy is heavily reliant on the agricultural sector. More than
70% of rural households are dependent on agriculture. Given that it accounts for 17% of the
country's GDP overall and employs more than 60% of the workforce, agriculture is a significant
sector of the Indian economy.

A country's fundamental soul is its farmer. Lal Bahadur Shastri, our late prime minister, coined
the phrase "Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan." He realized that Indian farmers provide food for the entire
country. He is responsible for the agricultural output, hence he needs to have access to the most
modern farming equipment.

What Caused the Indian Farm Protests?

Before abruptly caving in to the farmers' demands this week, the administration survived months
of protest during which both parties refused to make concessions. Prime Minister Narendra Modi
has given in to farmers' demands after a year of persistent protests, announcing that his
administration will reverse farm regulations it passed to reform the nation's agricultural industry.

There was no denying the necessity to change India's former system, which encouraged farmers
to produce a massive surplus of grains. Because of the speed with which the regulations were
implemented and the magnitude of the changes they entailed, the demonstrators anticipated that
crop prices would plummet. The government of Mr. Modi had contended that using market
forces would aid in systemic correction.

Who participated in the protest?

Many of the demonstrators, who were primarily from the states of Punjab and Haryana, were
Sikhs, a religious minority. Farmers across the nation organized protests in solidarity. Their
demonstrations have exposed the dreadful disparity that exists throughout most of the
nation.Despite accounting for only around 15% of the nation's economic production, more than
60% of India's 1.3 billion inhabitants still rely primarily on agriculture for their livelihood. After
the coronavirus pandemic severely damaged the urban economy and drove millions of workers
back to their rural, this dependence grew. Farmers have a high suicide rate because of their
indebtedness and bankruptcy.

What did they demand?

The protesters opposed Prime Minister Modi's initiatives to reform Indian agriculture.They
demanded that Mr. Modi overturn legislation enacted in September 2020 that would reduce
government involvement in agriculture and provide more room for private investors. According
to the government, the new regulations will free up farmers and private investment, resulting
in growth. Farmers, meanwhile, were concerned that losing the state protections—which they
already regarded as inadequate—would leave them defenseless against rapacious companies.

Government assistance to farmers, including minimum price guarantees for some vital crops,
assisted India in overcoming its famine crisis in the 1960s. However, as India's economy has
liberalized in recent years, Mr. Modi, who wants the nation's GDP to nearly double by 2024,
understood that such a heavy reliance on the government in the agricultural sector was no
longer feasible.However, farmers argued that despite the current safeguards, they were still
having difficulty. They were concerned that because of the weak economy, market-friendly
regulations will eventually eliminate regulatory support, leaving them without any means of
support.

CONCLOSION:

In the end, in January 2021, the Indian supreme court issued a stay preventing the agriculture
legislation from going into effect. The stay order which was accepted by farmer leaders was in
place until it was eventually revoked. On march 19, 2021, a committee established by the
supreme court presented the court with its private findings.