IMPORTANT QUESTIONS RAISED BY CAIT IN CONTEXT OF THE FARMERS’ PROTEST

GG News Bureau

New Delhi, 18 Dec

The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), raised lots of important questions regarding the farmers’ protest and urged the central government to make efforts to resolve the problem in a comprehensive manner taking into account the important role played by various other stakeholders connected with farming, while considering the solutions. Any temporary solution will not be in the interest of agriculture, farmers and other stakeholders. Appeasing one section may give rise to dissatisfaction among other connected sectors which may result in another movement. So, the interest of all the sectors related to farming must be protected.

National President of CAIT Mr. B C Bhartia and National Secretary General Mr. Praveen Khandelwal said that there is no doubt that even after the completion of almost 75 years of independence, the farmers in the country are cultivating deficit farming. Considering this it is very important to convert the deficit farming of the farmers into profitable farming. The government should take concrete steps on this. They further said that in view of the current situation, the farmers’ movement has given an opportunity to have a re- look on the entire agriculture system, administrative system and the role played by other stakeholders and therefore it is important to find  an overall comprehensive solution to the persisting situation .

Mr. Bhartia and Mr. Khandelwal raised the question that the farmer is the only class in the country which according to a rough estimate gets a subsidy of about 1.5 lakh crores per annum but even then the farmers are indulging into deficit farming. It certainly speaks that the current agricultural system and administrative system for agriculture is suffering from various shortcomings and leakages and due to which there is no change in the condition of farmers.

Shri Bhartia and Shri Khandelwal said that it is a wrong narrative that the three farm bills are connected only with the farmers. A large business class of the country is engaged in providing many goods and resources to the farmers for agriculture. A robust supply chain works from sowing the crop to transporting the agricultural produce to the general consumer and crores of people are associated with that chain to earn their livelihood from it. It is certain that they will also be directly connected with farm laws  and therefore whether the interests of those crores of people will be taken into consideration or not and  who will take care of their interests?

Shri Bhartia and Shri Khandelwal further said that all the work of sowing of the seeds by the farmers, cultivation of land and finally the crops produced being transported  to the consumers is done by the traders. Traders play an important role in the field of farming and hence CAIT is posing a question whether the contribution of traders in terms of farm laws is important or not?  Whether the government will ever discuss and consider them or not?

Mr Bhartia and Mr. Khandelwal said that the traders, who have been working in and outside the mandis for centuries, provides transportation for the farmers for their crops, supplying agricultural commodities and various other sectors like food grains, agricultural implements and tools, food processing, trade of seeds, pesticides, fertilizers, agricultural vehicles, spare parts of agricultural equipments, vehicle parts, motors, rubber and plastic pipes, transport and logistics, and others are directly connected to the general farming process and finally help the farmers in realising best prices for their crops,therefore, the question arises that who will protect the interests of all these stakeholders while taking any decision on the current issues of farming ?

They also said that the issues raised by the farmers must be sorted out and the farmers in the country must get their share of  hard work, only then the country will prosper. But other sections related to agriculture are also very important, so it becomes even more important to address them by protecting their interests too. A comprehensive solution is the need of the hour else as per past experience temporary solutions always worsen the things and all stakeholders need to be consulted while drawing out solutions.