Agri laws misunderstood by certain sections: BJP leader Tarun Chugh

Chandigarh, April 19

BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh today said it was unfortunate that the three agricultural laws had not been understood in the proper perspective by a section of farmers, particularly in Punjab and Haryana.

"Green Revolution was successful in increasing per hectare productivity. By 1970, Punjab was producing 70 per cent of the country's total foodgrain. At the same time, the revolution led to inequality in foodgrain production and farmers' income. Repetitive cropping pattern led to degradation of soil. The overuse of water led to fall in the water table. Uncontrolled use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides degraded the environment," he highlighted.

Chugh said from being number one in the 1980s, Punjab went down to 19th rank in 2019-20 in terms of per capita GDP. As per a study conducted by a state university, a total of 16,606 farmers and farm labourers committed suicide between 2000 and 2015 which comes to three suicide per day, he stressed. The BJP leader said small land-holding, lack of crop diversification and markets for the produce, mounting debt and middlemen, besides a crumbled state support, led to stagnation of the agrarian sector.

Stressing the MSP will continue, he said the new farm laws gave farmers the option of selling their wheat at a higher rate but not below Rs 1,975. Farmers can withdraw from the contract with the corporate at any stage without penalty but the corporate buyer will have to pay the agreed price and penalty for breaching the contract, Chugh said. “The mandi system will not collapse at all. In fact, mandis will become more competitive,” he said. — TNS