A rundown of the rapidly growing issue involving the Indian government and their farmers.
By Japneet Sandhu
With so much going on in the world there is another political issue taking place - the Farmers Bill, 2020. This bill was passed by the Government of India and the agricultural committee and allows farmers to sell and produce their crops outside the regulated markets known as “mandi’s”. This means that farmers are forced to deal with larger corporations, companies and businessmen. Large corporations are no longer being restricted when it comes to lowering prices for the farmer’s crops/produce.
Farmers in India fear that they won’t get a regulated price for their crops as large companies can buy their crops for a small price with this bill being passed. Punjab and Haryana are the largest producers of crops, rice, wheat and spices. They are impacted the most out of everyone with this new bill. Punjab is the largest rice producer as they produce around 89% of the rice in India. To fight for their claims and represent their contradiction, farmers and supporters are peacefully protesting for the passed bill to be returned back in India’s capital, New Delhi. Although this law affects farmers who work in India, this has a major impact globally. This is because India is one of the biggest importers of spices, wheat, rice, oil, grains, corn, vegetables and many other farm and agricultural productivity for several countries including Canada and the United States.
To show support, several rallies have been held and are still being held across Canada, U.S.A, United Kingdom, and Australia. Nanki Kaur, a protest organizer at a rally in Downtown Toronto stated, “It would be like if workers here did not have a minimum wage anymore. That is why we are protesting here today.” Many families have also come out to show support and spread the message as they have family members in India that are heavily being impacted by this situation.
Justin Trudeau, Canada’s PM has recently shown his support towards Indian farmers that are facing this crisis. He says he supports and will “defend the rights of a peaceful protest” and believes this bill is quite concerning.
Works Cited
What is the Farm Bill? (n.d.). Retrieved December 21, 2020, from https://sustainableagriculture.net/our-work/campaigns/fbcampaign/what-is-the-farm-bill/
Ross, S. (2020, August 31). 4 Countries That Produce the Most Food. Retrieved December 21, 2020, from https://www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/100615/4-countries-produce-most-food.asp
Szekeres, N. (2020, December 06). Members of Punjabi community rally in Lower Mainland in support of farmers in India. Retrieved December 21, 2020, from https://www.citynews1130.com/2020/12/02/punjabi-community-rally-lower-mainland-solidarity-farmers-india/
Hollingsworth, J. (2020, December 06). Thousands of farmers swarm India's capital to protest deregulation rules. Retrieved December 21, 2020, from https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/01/asia/delhi-farmers-india-protests-intl-hnk/index.html
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