The 2020 Indian farmers’ protest is an ongoing protest by farmers in India against the three farm Acts that were passed by the Parliament of India in September 2020. The main reason behind these protests is that the Acts have been described by numerous farmer unions and politicians from the opposition as ‘anti-farmer laws’ which would leave farmers at the “mercy of corporates”. The new laws would allow farmers to sell their produce outside the Agriculture Produce Market (APMC) to whoever they want. The three farm laws that have been projected by the government will allegedly remove the middlemen, the APMC, and would allow farmers to sell anywhere in the country. Moreover, these laws would allow farmers to enter into contracts with the agribusinesses on pre-agreed prices of their products. This has led to over 300,000 farmers retaliating through riots, sit-down protests and traffic obstruction in the roads of the capital city, Delhi, all with the objective of making the Indian Government revoke the three Acts. These new farm Acts are as follows:

Farmers have been on the boil in India for some years now. More than half of Indians work on farms, but farming accounts for barely a sixth of the country's GDP. Before the enactment of the three laws, the Indian government offered fixed prices to farmers for certain crops, creating a stable guide to make decisions and investments in relation to the crop cycles. Farmers were able to sell their goods at an auction at their state’s Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC). By doing so, these farmers were protected by a government-agreed minimum price that was set for certain crops, and the auctions were regulated through restrictions that enabled fair pricing for the farmers.

However, the safety net brought upon by the APMC is now abolished due to the reformed farming laws. With more than half of India’s working population coming from the agriculture sector, coupled with the shockwave brought upon by Covid-19, the sudden change in the farming laws that governed the country for decades created nothing but more problems for the troubled lives of farmers. Hence, leaving them with no choice but to fight for their previous government-secured life back.

Judging by the government's intentions to improve India’s economic wealth, allowing corporates to take the reins of India’s key industry may seem like an ideal way to reach their goal, but it’s the fine print of these new laws that give farmers the bad end of the deal.

If we take a look at the Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce Act 2020, although the farmers would now have the freedom to sell outside the APMC market and no longer be affected by taxes, there will also no longer be a minimum selling price shield on crops. This means farmers would be forced to sell their crops at a low and desirable price to the corporations. Further showing that the provision of these new laws is only beneficial to the corporations and not the farmers.

In addition, with the abolition of the APMC, farmers will be exposed to the risk of fraud due to the entry of people without license or registration in the farmers market. Without the APMC, the government would no longer be able to protect farmers against illegitimate buyers in the farmers’ market. Besides, the establishment of the Farmers Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act 2020 has made farmers fearful of losing their land and becoming ‘slaves’ to the corporates. The Essential Commodities Act 2020 also contains policies that favour the big buyers over the farmers.

These protests haven’t been exclusive to India. People around the world have been protesting in solidarity with the farmers because the protests are about “people who feed all of us” and their fair treatment. In 2019, the top five importers of Indian spices were the U.S., China, Vietnam, Hong Kong and Bangladesh. Goods like pepper, chilli, ginger, garlic and fennel are among the common exports. According to the United States Agricultural Department, there is a high chance that something in your closet is made in India as India is the world’s leading producer of cotton. That being said, since the dependency on Indian farmers goes beyond the country, citizens from all around the world feel the need to stand up against the exploitations of workers who play a highly crucial role in their lives.

In conclusion, despite the visionary intent of the new reforms laws, the Acts come with their own share of loopholes. In my opinion, to truly transform India’s agriculture industry, the central government needs to be far more inclusive in their planning and decision making. Every individual involved in the industry—from the Members of Parliament to the farmers—should be benefiting from this change in order for the industry to flourish the way it’s supposed to. Seeing as farmers are the backbone of the country, their needs should not be overlooked simply because of their lack of influence in the Parliament. Hence, I believe the Acts need significant amendments before vision can turn into reality.