This podcast was recorded on December 3, amid the continuing standoff between farmers’ groups and the Central government in Delhi and its fourth round of talks with not just Punjabi and Haryanvi farmers, but representatives from other parts of the country too. The farmers fear the recent agricultural reforms passed by the government will lead to the deregulation of crop-pricing, deny them fair remuneration for their produce and leave them at the mercy of corporations. The government, on the other hand, argues that the new laws will give farmers more autonomy in selling their produce, lead to better pricing, and free them from unfair monopolies.
In this episode, we delve further into aspects of minimum support price and the APMC mandi system, which the new laws seek to bypass. These are currently the most proximate to the talks between the farmers groups and government. And we also discuss a possible way forward for both sides as the negotiations continue.
Guest: R. Ramakumar, Professor, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai.