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Udupi : The three bills were passed in the parliament are the Farmer’s Produce Trade and Commerce Bill, Farmers Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill and Essential Commodities Amendment Bill which would transform the agriculture sector and raise the farmer’s income, said Shobha Karandlje, MP of Udupi-Chickmaglur Parliamentary Constituency.

Addressing a media conference at Hotel Kidiyoor here on Saturday, October 10, Shobha Karanlje said that farmers’ income increases due to these passed bills and will make the farmer independent of government controlled markets and fetch them a better price for their produce.

The Bills propose to create a system in which the farmers and traders can sell their purchase outside the Mandis and it encourages intra-state trade and this proposes to reduce the cost of the transpsortation. The bills formulates a framework on the agreements that enable farmers to engage with companies, retailers, exporters for service and sale of produce while giving the farmer access to modern technology. It also provides benefits for the small and marginal farmers with less than five hectares of land and the bill also wi8ll remove items such as cereals and pulses form the list of essential commodities and attract FDI.

She said that the farmers will get better price of their products. If not, they will get the Minimum Support Price for their produce and there is no way about the upper hand of the agri-businesses and big retailers in negotiations. She said the lacunae with the existing system are that the farmers had been facing several problems  include overproduction, low crop prices, high transportation costs, high interest rates and growing debt. The other major issue with the existing MSP based procurement system is the working dependence on middlemen, commission agents, and red- tapism of the APMC officials. An average farmer finds it difficult to get access to these mandis and depends on the market to sell farm produce. She said the system of MSP will remain and government procurement will continue.

She said these three Bills give strength to the farmers. The farmers’’ should understand the Bills. These would serve as an additional marketing channel for farmers even as the APMC will continue to function.

The brochure of farm bills was released during the press meet. Suresh Nayak Kulaidy District BJP President, Mattar Rathnakar Hegde, Chairman of Coastal Development Authority, Praveen Gurme and others were present during the media conference.