Rajasthan traders up in arms against ‘one nation, one market’ policy

JAIPUR: About 247 krishi mandis of Rajasthan staged protest on Friday against the Centre’s new policy ‘one nation, one market’.
Traders alleged that this is a discriminatory policy that will affect their business. However, farmers in the state have said that this policy will empower them to sell their products on better rates in the market without giving commission to the middlemen. On June 5, 2020, the Centre issued an ordinance ‘The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Ordinance, 2020’. Under this ordinance, the government allowed farmers to conduct inter-state and intra-state trade and online trading platform as well without being dependent on the farmers market.
All the mandis in the state were shut down on Friday and businessmen gathered chanting slogans against the ordinance. Businessmen alleged that they will incur huge loses because of this.
Babulal Gupta, chairman, Rajsathan Khadya Padarth Vyapaar Sangh said, “This is a complete discriminatory policy of the Centre. Under this ordinance, from now onwards, a farmer do not have to sell his products in mandi but can go into open market. So, it means that anyone can open a shop outside the mandi without paying ‘mandi tax’ or ‘mandi fee’. This will benefit the businessmen outside but we will face heavy loses.”
However, when TOI contacted farmers, majority of them are in favour of this policy. Farmers said that this will end the decades of exploitation they have been facing in the mandis.
“This will help us get rid of the middlemen who used to work for commission and would take our produce on cheaper rate but would sell it in higher price. This policy is actually empowering the farmers and people protesting it are the one who thinks their monopoly will now end,” said Mithalal Meena, a farmer from Sawai Madhopur.
Similar views were expressed by Manilal Labana, president of Bhartiya Kisan Sangh from Barmer. “Protest are being organised by businessmen for selfish interest. They don’t want their monopoly to end and keep earning profit on the stake of farmers. At the time of drafting of this ordinance, we sent our recommendations and our happy with the results.”