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The government on Friday held a marathon 7-hour meeting with farm leaders of Punjab, who are opposing the recently passed three farm-related legislations.
The meeting attended by Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and Piyush Goyal, the Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution as well as for Railways, however, remained inconclusive, according to farmer leaders participated in discussions. They said the dialogue would continue after the leaders holding their own meeting in the State on November 18.
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Vested interests in the APMC set-up have a lot to lose as a result of the recently passed ordinances, not farmersAll India Kisan Sangarsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC), the umbrella organisation of over 250 farmer groups across the country, in a statement said the meeting remained inconclusive because the government was not ready to heed to the farmers’ demand for a guaranteed MSP regime for all farmers and all crops.
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Punjab’s MSP-oriented laws favour wheat/rice growers, Rajasthan’s may be hard to implement, while Chhattisgarh’s is minimalistAll India Kisan Sabha, one of the AIKSCC members, in another statement said in addition to the demands of repeal the three Farm Acts and Electricity Bill, the leaders demanded the immediate reinstatement of goods train services to Punjab, permanent solution to the issue of stubble burning and payment of dues to the sugar cane farmers. They also wanted the government to hold discussions with All India leadership of kisan organisations that are on agitation.
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Critics’ emphasis on MSP and APMC mandi issues is misplaced as their impact on farmers’ fortunes is less than envisagedThe farmers, which met here after the discussions with the government, said they would continue with their Delhi Chalo protest plan on November 26-27, a call given by more than 500 farmer organisations, including AIKSCC, Rashtriya Kisan Mahasangh and Bhartiya Kisan Unions led by Balbir Singh Rajewal and Gurnam Singh Chanduni.
Assurances on MSP and mandis
An official release, on its part, said during the interaction, the Ministers informed the representatives of Punjab farmers that procurement of farm produce on MSP and the Mandi system will continue as before. The new Farm Act will encourage mandis to provide better services to farmers, it said.
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So far farm policies were oriented towards production and increasing yields. The shift towards marketing is a welcome moveThe Ministers also assured the farmer leaders that the government was committed to protecting the interest of farmers and is always open for discussions for the welfare of farmers. Apart from senior officials from the Agriculture Ministry, their counterparts from the Punjab government were also present at the meeting.
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