Protestors have been peacefully campaigning for over 3 months for a repeal of laws which they believe will jeopardise their livelihood. Yet, despite the huge numbers of farmers fighting for their rights in India and how long the protests have endured, for many, the details of the protests may still be unknown, but it is an important movement to talk about. Rihanna and Greta Thunberg have helped bring the issue into the mainstream media, but what exactly are the farmers protests?

58% of India’s population are farmers. Many have had farming as their main, and only, source of income for generations, with farming even playing a pivotal role in the history of Sikhism, with scriptures detailing the farming undertook by the first Sikh Guru, Guru Nanak, in his lifetime. Around 250 million of India’s farmers are now protesting to repeal the introduction of 3 agricultural laws which intend to modernise farming which they were not consulted on. With no access or route to raise their grievances in court, protests were the only option for farmers to show their dismay and concern.

Put simply, the new laws allow farmers to sell directly to big businesses. They govern the sale, pricing, and storage of farm produce and, despite their positive outlook at face value, have caused uproar as many believe the reforms will make farming a corporate enterprise, with farmers being left vulnerable to exploitation. Firstly, the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act will allow farmers to sell their produce outside of the agriculture produce markets committees, allowing traders to purchase from farmers directly at a mutually agreed price, thereby ‘removing the middle man’. Secondly, we have The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, which seeks to allow farmers to engage in ‘contract farming’ and allows them to market their produce freely. The final reform is found in The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, which removes a number of existing essential commodities, such as food grains and onions, and makes these unrestricted for trade except in extraordinary circumstances.

Collectively, the fundamental issue that such reforms represent is the danger of deregulating crop pricing and moving towards ‘commercial’ farming, where minimum prices for crops will no longer be guaranteed but subject to negotiations, leaving farmers vulnerable to businesses; prices will no longer be uniform, and will largely depend on the ability of farmers to travel and trade, with many not having the resources to do so, meaning only a very small minority, if any, will benefit from the new rules.

The room for corporate exploitation is also evident; what would stop a company asking for as low a price as they want? The fear and risk here is not irrational, and is in fact already starting to arise. For example, one farmer from Jahanabad resorted to discarding of 1000 Kilos of cauliflower after only being offered around £10 for the produce, which equates to around 1 Rupee (or 1 Penny) per Kilo, whereas one would normally be guaranteed at least 8 Rupees per Kilo. Given what is already starting to happen, farmers have undeniable fears of their lack of bargaining power against corporations to demand fair prices for their crops. Could this ever be perceived as fair and just?

Being of Asian background, I have grown up hearing stories about my ancestors, visited endless plots of our farmland in India, and seen the hard work that many farmers endure over the summer months to get their crop ready for sale at the markets. Farming is not a business for Indian farmers, but a way of life. They dedicate themselves wholeheartedly to it, all with the anticipation of an expected sum of money that they were once guaranteed to secure. We could liken this to the national minimum wage, where we expect a guaranteed minimum amount for our labour. With the new laws, this guarantee is waning, so you can see why they have created such uproar for farmers whose income is already only just sustainable for their everyday needs. To remove this guarantee is to remove the security of making any income at all, hence why farmers want more than the mere suspension of the laws for 18 months, as currently proposed, but a full repeal.

Despite the protests, negotiations with the Indian government are yet to come to fruition and are currently at a complete standstill, with protestors instead being faced by hostile barriers and treatment, including lack of access to water, electricity, and even the internet. The government still do not appear ready to ‘talk’, despite 3 months of protests passing by. The UK have been called to help bring an end to this deadlock between Farmers’ Unions and the government, with over 100 MPS signing a letter addressed to Boris Johnson to consult with our Indian counterpart for an effective and imminent solution to the issue, over 100,000 signatures on a petition, which will now be heard in the House of Commons, to urge the Indian government to ensure the safety of its protestors and press freedom. Numerous protests are taking place across the UK in solidarity with the farmers. It is hoped that such movements will shed further light and attention on the issue, and urge states to encourage the Indian government to reach a solution. The potential harms the laws will cause will cause outrage beyond the confines of India; many across the world have ancestry and owe their heritage to the life of an Indian farmer.

So, in light of all of the above, what reason is there for not talking about the farmers’ protests? Could there ever be one? There is a long way yet to go, but awareness of the protests is a firm starting point on the route for change.

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