Agrarian reforms and farmers’ protests in India: a policy perspective

Abstract

The government of India passed three bills in September 2020 saying it aimed to deregulate and promote the “free market” and the penetration of private capital into the agrarian sector. The new agrarian market reforms claim to facilitate “freedom of choice” by allowing farmers to sell their produce to corporates and private traders and access better prices. However,
farmers perceive these laws as a threat to the government’s assured procurement and support prices. Indian farmers protested in unprecedented numbers, gathering at the borders of the national capital, New Delhi, in November 2020 and have been camping there ever since.