In view of the rising cases of farmers getting cheated while buying seeds, fertilisers and pesticides, the Maharashtra Agriculture Department is examining the proposal of Maharashtra Assembly speaker, Nana Patole, to set up an independent tribunal, which will hold hearings in cheating cases, and an independent authoritythat will have regulatory powers for the farm sector.

The Indian Constitution, under Article 323B (g), provides powers to the State Legislature to set up tribunals for such disputes, complaints and offences.

Patole is known to take a strong stand on the issue of farmer welfare. In December 2017, when he was a Lok Sabha MP from Maharashtra, he had rebelled against the BJP and had announced his resignation from the Lower House as well as from the party over the increasing number of farmer suicides in the State.

Patole told BusinessLine he has already written to the Union Agriculture Ministry and met the Agriculture Minister on the matter. He has also demanded that Central Government laws that govern the sale of seeds, pesticides, fertiliser and agriculture insurance be changed, given the large-scale frauds against farmers,

By setting up the tribunal, Maharashtra could be the first State to provide such protection to farmers. To solve disputes between State government employees and the State government, the Maharashtra Administrative Tribunal, in accordance with similar provisions of the Constitution of India, is working effectively, he said.

Patole said cases of farmers getting cheated take a lot of time in consumer forums and courts. The farmers do not get any effective redress of their grievances against the agri-input companies. A draft law for setting up the tribunal is under process and opinions of various Maharashtra Government departments, including Law and Judiciary, is being sought, Patole said.

The Maharashtra Pradesh Kisan Congress (MPKC), the farmer’s arm of the Congress party, is behind this move. The general secretary (Maharashtra), Devanand Pawar, who is spearheading this move, said the State government must use the provision in the Constitution, which has often been neglected by successive governments. An independent authority, which will have regulatory powers for the sector, should also be set up for farmers’ welfare. When a farmer gets cheated due to poor quality farm inputs such as seeds, he has no time to pursue the companies. He is worried about his next season, Pawar said.

BusinessLine has written to the Secretary of State Department of Agriculture, seeking his view on the matter, but received no reply from his office at the time of going to press.

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