Apart from 12 pan-India agitations, most protests were in Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and TelanganaApart from the three contentious farm laws, procurement and agricultural market price-related failures have contributed to a fivefold increase in major farmers’ protests since 2017, according to data collated by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). In 2017, there were 34 major protests across 15 States. Along with protests against State legislation and inadequate Budget allocations for the agricultural sector, such anti-policy agitations account for 96 major protests across the country. However, large numbers of farmers are also fighting against market failures and demanding fair prices, which have led to 38 major protests. The CSE called for the better maintenance of agricultural data, noting that 14 States had actually witnessed a deterioration in the quality of their land records.

Source: The Hindu June 07, 2021 07:39 UTC