Pune: Bring back repealed farm laws, demands MahaFPC

MahaFPC, an umbrella body of the farmer producer companies in Maharashtra, passed a resolution in its annual general body meeting demanding that the now repealed farm laws be brought back. MahaFPC Managing Director Yogesh Thorat made this demand in the presence of Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar in Maharashtra’s Pune city Thursday

Addressing the meeting, Thorat said that deregulation of commodities was necessary to ensure better realization of the farmers. He said that out-of-mandi trade was necessary to help better prices. “The Central government brought in the three farm laws, which were in the right direction. We in Maharashtra has supported the laws as this was the need of the hour,” he said. Thorat said the repeal of the laws was detrimental and the government should take steps to bring back the laws.  “We need better market access and electronic markets to help in better realization,” he added.

Thorat said that MahaFPC has managed to trade agro commodities worth Rs 2,500 crore and had finalised the model of out-of-mandi trade. He added that village-level procurement centers have managed to help the farmers. Thorat further said that MahaFPC would work to help in the revolution on oilseeds and pulses.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government had passed the three farm laws, which had allowed for free trade of the agricultural commodities outside the mandis. The laws were repealed after almost a year of protests by the farmers, especially from Punjab and Haryana who had staged a sit-in outside the national capital.