New agri laws: Farmers protest at Mumbai collector’s office

Mumbai: A group of farmers on Tuesday staged a protest outside the office of Mumbai suburban district collector over their demand for withdrawal of the Centre’s three new farm laws.

The protesters claimed the new laws would only benefit big corporates rather than the farmers.

“We want farmer-friendly laws,” one of the protesters said.

The protest was supported by the ‘Prahar’ organisation, headed by Maharashtra minister Bacchu Kadu.

A group of farmers from the state has already left for Delhi to support the peasants who are protesting at borders of the national capital since November 26.

They are demanding a repeal of the new agri laws.

Enacted in September, the three farm laws have been projected by the central government as major reforms in the agriculture sector that will remove the middlemen and allow farmers to sell anywhere in the country.

However, the protesting farmers have expressed apprehension that the new laws would pave the way for eliminating the safety cushion of Minimum Support Price (MSP) and do away with the mandi system, leaving them at the mercy of big corporates.

The government has repeatedly asserted that the MSP and mandi systems will stay and has accused the opposition of misleading the farmers.