Tamil Nadu Farmers Association members staged demonstration in front of post offices in Vellore and Ranipet on Wednesday to show their opposition to the amendment to the Essential Commodities Act.
Leading the protest at Ranipet, TNFA district president,L. C. Mani and others attempted to burn the copies of the said amendment to the Essential Commodities Act. Police arrested nearly 50 people from both places of protest.
Mr. Mani said the government should not abolish free power supply extended to poor farmers and farming loans should be waived forthwith.
He along with the protesters urged the Union government to give up anti-farmer attitude. Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Ordinance, 2020, has been given a nod by the cabinet without concurring with farmers associations, they said.
Official sources from the Agricultural Marketing wing of Agriculture department, said amendment to the ECA will deregulate the production, storage, movement and distribution of these food commodities. The new ordinance is aimed at facilitating contract farming, where a private buyer contracts to purchase a crop at a certain price at the beginning of a season, transferring the risk of market unpredictability from the farmer to the corporate sponsor. However, farmers groups have expressed concern that corporates will benefit more than small farmers from such direct marketing measures, and wish to see the specific provisions of the ordinance before welcoming it.
