Farm laws: Bridging the trust gap (Financial Express)

Financial Express (India) published an op-ed by former director of the IFPRI-South Asia Region P. K. Joshi and Arabinda K. Padhee on farmer demands and how the government is negotiating with them. Few of the demands, on arbitration mechanism between farmers and buyers in contract farming, the jurisdiction of civil court authorities, etc., could be negotiated to bring amendments to the legislation. Any rollback of the farm laws will be disastrous for the farm sector and farmers. The new farm laws will help India emerge as a leader in agriculture and agro-processing. They are also expected to build a new crop of agri-tech start-ups and innovation hubs in the farm sector. Any dilution in the farm laws will constrain Indian agriculture to harness emerging global opportunities.