Daily Analysis of 'The Hindu' - 28th May, 2020 | Additional Study Material for UPSC PDF Download

 Page 1


Enjoying the fruits of their 
labour
The swarm
Calamities Galore (ToI)
Helping supply chains 
recover
Page 2


Enjoying the fruits of their 
labour
The swarm
Calamities Galore (ToI)
Helping supply chains 
recover
Enjoying the fruits of their labour
?If any class of economic agents of our country has
been denied the constitutional right of freedom of
trade, it is farmers.
?They don’ t have the freedom of selling their produce
even in their neighbourhood.
?Remunerative price is still a mirage for them.
?Their farm incomes are at the mercy of markets,
middlemen and money lenders.
?For every rupee that a farmer makes, others in the
supply chain get much more.
Page 3


Enjoying the fruits of their 
labour
The swarm
Calamities Galore (ToI)
Helping supply chains 
recover
Enjoying the fruits of their labour
?If any class of economic agents of our country has
been denied the constitutional right of freedom of
trade, it is farmers.
?They don’ t have the freedom of selling their produce
even in their neighbourhood.
?Remunerative price is still a mirage for them.
?Their farm incomes are at the mercy of markets,
middlemen and money lenders.
?For every rupee that a farmer makes, others in the
supply chain get much more.
?This exploitation has its roots in the Bengal
famine of 1943, World War II, and the droughts
and food shortages of the 1960s.
?The Essential Commodities Act, 1955, and the
Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC)
Acts of the States are the principle sources of
violation of the rights of farmers to sell their
produce at a price of their choice.
?Renowned farm scientist M.S. Swaminathan has
for long argued for the right of farmers to sell
their produce as they deem fit.
?Efficient value chains: cold storage, stocking
facilities, and transport of perishable commodities
Page 4


Enjoying the fruits of their 
labour
The swarm
Calamities Galore (ToI)
Helping supply chains 
recover
Enjoying the fruits of their labour
?If any class of economic agents of our country has
been denied the constitutional right of freedom of
trade, it is farmers.
?They don’ t have the freedom of selling their produce
even in their neighbourhood.
?Remunerative price is still a mirage for them.
?Their farm incomes are at the mercy of markets,
middlemen and money lenders.
?For every rupee that a farmer makes, others in the
supply chain get much more.
?This exploitation has its roots in the Bengal
famine of 1943, World War II, and the droughts
and food shortages of the 1960s.
?The Essential Commodities Act, 1955, and the
Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC)
Acts of the States are the principle sources of
violation of the rights of farmers to sell their
produce at a price of their choice.
?Renowned farm scientist M.S. Swaminathan has
for long argued for the right of farmers to sell
their produce as they deem fit.
?Efficient value chains: cold storage, stocking
facilities, and transport of perishable commodities
?Study: restrictions on agricultural marketing
amounted to ‘implicit taxation ’ on farmers to the
tune of ?45 lakh crore from 2000-01 to 2016-17.
?This comes to ?2.56 lakh crore per year. No other
country does this.
Much-awaited freedom
?The most welcome feature of this package is the
firm commitment to rewriting the Essential
Commodities Act and the APMC laws.
?This long-awaited revision needs to be
undertaken with care and responsibility so that no
space or scope is left for farmers to be exploited
yet again.
Page 5


Enjoying the fruits of their 
labour
The swarm
Calamities Galore (ToI)
Helping supply chains 
recover
Enjoying the fruits of their labour
?If any class of economic agents of our country has
been denied the constitutional right of freedom of
trade, it is farmers.
?They don’ t have the freedom of selling their produce
even in their neighbourhood.
?Remunerative price is still a mirage for them.
?Their farm incomes are at the mercy of markets,
middlemen and money lenders.
?For every rupee that a farmer makes, others in the
supply chain get much more.
?This exploitation has its roots in the Bengal
famine of 1943, World War II, and the droughts
and food shortages of the 1960s.
?The Essential Commodities Act, 1955, and the
Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC)
Acts of the States are the principle sources of
violation of the rights of farmers to sell their
produce at a price of their choice.
?Renowned farm scientist M.S. Swaminathan has
for long argued for the right of farmers to sell
their produce as they deem fit.
?Efficient value chains: cold storage, stocking
facilities, and transport of perishable commodities
?Study: restrictions on agricultural marketing
amounted to ‘implicit taxation ’ on farmers to the
tune of ?45 lakh crore from 2000-01 to 2016-17.
?This comes to ?2.56 lakh crore per year. No other
country does this.
Much-awaited freedom
?The most welcome feature of this package is the
firm commitment to rewriting the Essential
Commodities Act and the APMC laws.
?This long-awaited revision needs to be
undertaken with care and responsibility so that no
space or scope is left for farmers to be exploited
yet again.
?Strong and effective network of Farm Pr odu cers ’
Organisations should be created to enhance the
bargaining power of farmers.
?An effective law on contract farming is also the
need of the hour, to secure incomes of farmers
besides enabling private investments.
?The huge support to animal husbandry and
fisheries in the stimulus package underlines the
need for diversifying the income sources of
farmers.