Farmers In Punjab, Haryana Hold Protests, Block Roads Against Centre’s Farm Ordinances; Why Are The Farmers Angry?

Farmers in Punjab blocked three roads, including the Amritsar-Delhi national highway, and held agitations at several places on September 14 against three farm ordinances promulgated by the Centre. Different farmers’ outfits raised slogans against the Centre for bringing the “anti-farmer” ordinances and demanded their rollback. Commuters faced inconvenience due to the road blockade as the authorities diverted traffic. Farmers are demanding a roll back of the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Ordinance, 2020, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Ordinance, 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020. These ordinances seek to provide barrier-free trade for farmers’ produce outside notified farm mandis, and empower farmers to enter into farming agreements with private players prior to production for sale of agri-produce. President of the outfit Satnam Singh Pannu said they would continue with their road blockades till their demand was accepted. The centre on September 14 introduced three bills in the Lok Sabha on the farm sector asserting the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for agriculture produce is here to stay. The Congress-led government in Punjab, has described these ordinances as a “blatant attack” on the federal structure. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi criticised the government over the bills, calling them a “fatal attack” on the farmers and “black ordinances”. Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has said these ordinances are not only against the interest of farmers and landless workers and time-tested agriculture marketing system established in the state, but are also against the constitution.