Farmers will now be able to sell their produce at any price they want even outside the mandi and their states, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said on Thursday.
Addressing a press conference about the Farm Bills here, Tomar said, "Farmers, so far, were forced to sell their produce in mandis. In Punjab, there's 8.5 per cent tax in the mandis on several items. Now, through these Bills, farmers will now be able to sell their produce even outside the ambit of the mandi, their state at any price they choose."
The Minister said that these Bills assure farmers to receive payment in at most three days.
"No act, till date, guaranteed the time of payment for a farmer. The new Bills assure the farmer to receive payment in at most three days. This will promote inter-state trade and farmers would receive more options to sell at the right price," Tomar said.
The Minister said there is no provision to end the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMCs). "The new Bills just allow the farmer to sell his produce outside APMCs, giving him a wide range of buyers," Tomar added.
Speaking about the contract farming he said, there will be no deals related to the land of the farmer under these Bills.
"Once a farmer decides an agreement with a processor, they decide on an average value of the produce, ensuring that there's no risk for the farmer. Also, if the price of the produce is higher than what is decided, a percentage of that would be paid to the farmer by the processor. There will be no deals related to the land of the farmer under these bills. The farmer is also allowed to leave the deal when he wants," he said.
Protests have broken out across various parts of the country including Haryana and Odisha against the Farm Bills.
On September 17, Shirom Akali Dal (SAD) leader and Lok Sabha MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal resigned from the Union Cabinet, displaying her opposition to the three Bills.
According to the Centre, these Bills will help small and marginal farms by allowing them to sell produce outside mandis and sign agreements with agri-business firms and doing away with stock-holding limits on key commodities.
The Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 were passed by Parliament on Sunday.
( With inputs from ANI )
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