Dr. Mekhala Krishnamurthy, Professor of Sociology at Ashoka University, discusses the Farm Bills passed by the Central Government in mid-2020.

Protests against these central reforms have been relentless, especially from the farming communities of Punjab and Haryana. The 3 bills aim to de-regulate the agricultural marketing system by allowing farmers to sell directly to private players (and bypass State-controlled agri markets or mandis), enable contract farming, and reduce restrictions on purchasing and stocking imposed by the Essential Commodities Act.

Champions of these laws herald them as significant as the 1991 Liberalization Reforms and that farmers have been unshackled from the grip of middlemen. However, protestors fret that farmers have been exposed to capitalist forces without adequate protection and that the Centre has hastily encroached on a State issue without adequate stakeholder consultation.

Prof. Krishnamurthy lends great lucidity to this incredibly complicated set of issues. Over the first hour of the episode, we get a better sense of what agricultural marketing really is and its facets: how they differ from regular transactions, what the role of middlemen is, why APMC mandis serve an important function etc. Once this important base is set up, we dissect the recently passed Farm Bills, including their pros and defects. Finally, we discuss the future of agriculture in Punjab and Haryana, 2 states with their unique agriculture challenges that are at the forefront of the frustration against the Farm Bills.

Show Notes:

Prof. Krishnamurthy's co-authored study of Agricultural Markets in Bihar, Punjab, and Odisha: https://casi.sas.upenn.edu/agricultural-markets-study

Indian Express Op-Ed on Arthiyas in Punjab and Telangana: https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/the-arhtiya-business-7098629/

Timestamps:
0.00: Intro
7.56: Discussion of Agricultural Marketing?
33.10: Role of Intermediaries and Middlemen in Agricultural Marketing
1.01.00: Were the laws passed too hastily?
1.20.49: Infrastructure in Agriculture
1.29.15: Essential Commodities Act Amendment vs. Onion Exports
1.37.47: Contract Farming Bill
1.42.55: State of Agriculture in Punjab and Haryana