12/29/2020
By Mayank Bhardwaj and Rajendra Jadhav
NEW DELHI/MUMBAI, Dec 29 (Reuters) - Food Corporation of
India (FCI), the state grain procurement agency, buys rice and
wheat from growers every season at guaranteed prices but farmers
fear that those purchases may end under new agricultural laws at
the centre of recent protests.
Farmers say the new laws will shut the regulated wholesale
markets they depend on to take their produce. But FCI has racked
up huge debts from the purchases required to meet its role as a
buyer of last resort and to supply India s food welfare program.
HOW HAVE FCI S PURCHASES CREATED MASSIVE GRAIN STOCKPILES?
Explainer: How India s grain policies have stoked FCI s debt binge reuters.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from reuters.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
By Mayank BhardwajNEW DELHI, Dec 24 (Reuters) - India's main opposition party pressed the government on Thursday to call a special parliamentary session to withdraw new agricultural laws that farmers say will leave them at the mercy of big corporations.Rahul Gandhi, a senior leader from the opposition Congress party, handed the president a copy of a petition that he said had attracted 20 million signatures online.
UPDATE 2-India s ruling party says no question of repealing India farm laws
(Recasts will ruling-party s position)
By Mayank Bhardwaj and Krishna N. Das
NEW DELHI, Dec 22 (Reuters) - Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi s party said on Tuesday there was no question of the government repealing agriculture laws fiercely opposed by farmers who are worried deregulation will reduce their incomes.
Tens of thousands of protesters have camped out on the outskirts of New Delhi and blocked national highways for over three weeks to protest against India s biggest farm reforms in decades.
The government says the laws enacted by parliament in September would increase farmers income through more private investments.