NEW DELHI: Nearly three years after repealing the reform-oriented farm legal guidelines due to farmers’ protest, the Center has now come out with a draft national policy framework on agriculture advertising and marketing suggesting states to move towards a “unified national market for agriculture produce” by means of Single licensing/registration system and single charge.
Allowing establishing of personal wholesale markets; allowing wholesale direct buy by processors, exporters, organized retailers, bulk consumers from farm-gate; declaring warehouses/silos/chilly storages as deemed market; permitting institution and operation of personal e-buying and selling platform; single time levy of market charges throughout the state; and rationalization of market charge and fee fees are a number of the different key solutions of the federal government to reform the agriculture market.
The draft was launched by the agriculture ministry final month seeking feedback from stakeholders for a wider session. It was ready by a committee, arrange beneath the chairmanship of Faiz Ahmed Kidwai, further secretary (advertising and marketing) within the agriculture ministry.
Though states/UTs have began adopting one or the opposite such measures in restricted or uneven method, the draft suggests uniformity throughout the nation and pitches for constituting an “empowered agricultural marketing reform committee” of state ministers on the traces of such a committee on GST. to push the states to undertake the reform provisions.
The draft notes that such a joint panel could assist in constructing consensus among the many states to move towards a unified national marketand suggests a “permanent secretariat” on the traces of the GST empowered committee.
It says the committee could contemplate proposing to carry a regulation for agricultural advertising and marketing, uniform market charge and such different points for the good thing about farmers and barrier free agri-commerce with an strategy of “ease of doing trade”.
The draft emphasizes that the important thing concept behind the proposal is to “build a vibrant marketing ecosystem in the country wherein farmers of all categories find a market of their choice to realize best price for their produce”.
Recognition of buying and selling licenses of different state (reciprocity of buying and selling license); de-regulation of perishables outdoors the market yard; exemption of market charge on direct sale by farmers; and exemption of market charge on produce introduced from different state for processing are a number of the different solutions of the draft policy.
Underlining significance of ongoing deal with creation of digital public infrastructure utilizing block-chain expertise, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine studying (ML) for strengthening the availability chain processes proper from farm to storage, the draft says that the mission of the proposal is to “put in place a mechanism to mitigate the uncertainties of market and price”.
As such, the draft proposal talks about growth of an improvised model of e-NAM within the type of Digital Marketing Portal (DMP) as half of a bigger market stack.
It says within the modified advertising and marketing dynamics, there’s a want for creation of end-to-end Value Chain Centric Infrastructure (VCCI) and digital infrastructure for “effective and transparent marketing delivery”. “VCCI will lead to integration of supply chains and reduction of transaction costs,” says the 39-web page draft.
Meanwhile, the ministry has already acquired many stakeholders’ solutions/feedback on the draft with a couple of farmer organizations even demanding its withdrawal by flagging a number of unacceptable factors within the proposal.
“There is no mention of ensuring a remunerative minimum support price (MSP) for farmers, which was a central recommendation of the National Commission on Farmers (NCF), chaired by the late MS Swaminathan, and a key issue in the national political discourse. Instead, the document seems to mislead farmers by promoting a corporate-driven agenda, emphasizing technical solutions like blockchain and Value Chain Centric Infrastructure (VCCI),” stated P Krishnaprasad of the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS), affiliated with the Communist Party of India. India (CPI), whereas expressing his considerations over the draft proposal.
He stated, “The proposals are dangerous and have the potential to destroy the existing protections that have been put in place to safeguard farmers and small producers from exploitation by large, monopolistic corporate interests.”
In their written response to the proposed policy, Rajinder Chaudhary and Kavitha Kuruganti, co-convenors of the Alliance for Sustainable & Holistic Agriculture (ASHA), stated the ministry’s move was an try at reviving the “massively rejected” agri-market reforms that have been contained within the “three infamous farm laws” which had to be repealed.
“At the outset, we would like to state that even a quick glance through the document clearly shows that it is an attempt by the Union government to revive its agenda of de-regulating agricultural markets, and leaving the farmers at the mercy of corporate players. ,” they wrote to the ministry.
They stated, “The draft policy framework focuses on institutional reforms, and does not specify what the Union government will do specifically towards bridging marketing and auxiliary infrastructure gaps in terms of financing and supporting state governments.”
Check out this related article: Japan to maximize nuclear power in clean-energy push as electricity demand grows – Newz9
Source link