Foreign protests over Farm Acts: Much ado over nothing

By Rahul Kumar New Delhi, Nov 22 : A forward-looking legislation that seeks to unshackle farmers and open up markets for Indian agriculture is unexpectedly facing protests on foreign lands-the UK, the US, Canada and even European nations. Within India, the protests against the three agricultural laws have been spearheaded by the opposition parties and some farmers’ groups. India Narrative delves into what really is happening.
What are the three laws In September, the Union government proposed three Bills-the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill; the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill; and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill. All three have been enacted and notified.
The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce Act allows farmers to sell their produce outside the mandis, hitherto regulated by the Agricultural Produce Marketing Committees (APMC). The reality is that many farmers had already been selling their produce directly to companies and retail agencies outside the government setup.
The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act allows the farmers to directly engage with agri-business firms, exporters and other processors for future sale of their produce at a mutually agreed remunerative price.
Under the Essential Commodities Act, the Central Government had the power to regulate the production, supply and distribution of essential commodities. Now, after the amendment, certain commodities can be regulated only under extraordinary circumstances like price rise, war and famine.