-TheWire.in With or without the government-mandated minimum support prices, private players in Punjab have been calling the shots, and the new farm laws only legitimise the rampant practice. Chandigarh: Farmers from Punjab, who are up in arms against the Centre’s new farm laws, have more than one reason to remain firm on their demand for the rollback of the contentious laws. For crops where there is no assured government purchase even after the...

-The Indian Express Farmers in poll-bound Bihar are seeking mandis 'like in Punjab and Haryana' Begusarai, Khagaria: In 2006, Nitish Kumar’s government showed the way by repealing Bihar’s Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) Act and allowing crops to be freely traded outside the state’s regulated mandis. But 14 years on – when the Narendra Modi government at the Centre has enacted a law dismantling the monopoly of APMC mandis all over India and...

-The Indian Express An opportunity has been lost in the lackadaisical handling of the issue. When the establishment ignores the historical context and the emotional component underlying any debate, mass protests can erupt to potentially shape the future. The people of Punjab would not have wanted a confrontation with the Union government, neither would I want to put it so bluntly, but around us, agitated farmers, with a strong common purpose, are...

-The Hindu First State to formally reject Centre’s 3 farm legislations Punjab on Tuesday became the first State in the country to formally reject theCentral government’s three agriculture sector legislations, with its Legislative Assembly on Tuesday unanimously passing three Bills to negate the Union laws. The Assembly passed a resolution rejecting the Central legislations and the proposed Electricity Amendment Bill and demanding their immediate annulment. It also sought an ordinance to protect the...

-Livemint.com Wide disparities in agri-marketing regulations have resulted in fragmented markets across states. The new farm bills aim to change this but the jury is still out on whether it will have the intended impact. On 26 September, government procurement of food crops commenced across the country, five days in advance, following the enactment of three contentious farm bills. Under the new policy regime, farmers need not sell their produce through designated...