Punjab Assembly passes resolution against farm laws; repeals SAD-era Contract Farming Act

The Punjab Assembly once again rejected the three farm laws passed by both Houses of Parliament by unanimously passing a resolution to this effect on Thursday.

Moved by Punjab Agriculture Minister Randeep Singh Nabha, the resolution accused the Centre of enacting the aforesaid laws by unlawfully venturing into the domain of the states. Alleging that the Union government has disregarded the contention that agriculture is a state subject, it asserted that the regulated Mandis established under the APMC Acts have a legal foundation.

The resolution noted, "The Punjab Vidhan Sabha strongly deprecates and condemns the efforts of the Union government aimed at systematic dismantling of farmer-friendly regulated Mandis and replacing them with trader-friendly unregulated Mandis. The Punjab Vidhan Sabha feels concerned at the unfair concessions extended to the traders and corporations of allowing purchases from unregulated markets without paying market fee, rural development fee etc. and thus providing unfair advantage to unregulated markets vis-a-vis regulated Mandis". It claimed that this will cause financial losses for the state government. 

Moreover, the state Assembly demanded that the Parliament pass special legislation making the purchase of farm produce below Minimum Support Price a legal offence. On this occasion, it also amended the APMC Act which Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi claimed would help prevent privatisation. The MLAs also cleared the Punjab Contract Farming (Repeal) Bill, 2021 to repeal the Punjab Contract Farming Act which was enacted during the SAD-BJP regime in 2013. This bill provided for improved marketing of agricultural produce through contract farming. 

Attempt to negate the impact of farm laws

On October 20 last year, the Punjab Assembly had unanimously cleared three bills to negate the impact of the three farm laws. The Farmers Produce Trade & Commerce Promotion & Facilitation (Punjab Amendment) Bill, 2020 was aimed at ensuring that wheat or paddy cannot be purchased except for a price equal to or greater than the MSP. Anyone buying below the MSP shall be imprisoned for three years, as per the bill. The second bill - The Essential Commodities (Special Provision & Punjab Amendment) Bill, 2020 - sought to protect consumers from hoarding and black marketing agricultural produce.

On the other hand, The Farmers Agreement on Price Assurance & Farm Services(Punjab Amendment) Bill, 2020, stipulated that no sale or purchase of wheat and paddy under a farming agreement shall take place below the MSP. Besides this, another bill was cleared to ensure that the land of farmers up to 2.5 acres cannot be attached in any recovery proceedings. While the state Assembly passed a resolution rejecting the agrarian laws even back then, the Punjab Governor is yet to approve the new bills.