I just found APMC Bypass Bill has: 2(n) TRADER means a person who BUYS farmers’ produce by way of inter-State or intra-State trade ... for purpose of wholesale trade, retail, END USE, value addition, processing, manufacturing, export, CONSUMPTION or for such other purpose!!! 1/4 Trade is not explicitly defined other than buying and selling of farmers' produce, and defined in the context of inter-state or intra-state in the Act. 2/4

Disconnect from ground, ambiguities and deficiencies galore in the APMC Bypass Bill 2020.
*farmers' freedom was not curtailed earlier either in state APMC Acts
* trader to trader transactions are being regulated now - that cannot be farmers' produce
#APMCBypassBill 1/13 It is unclear why separate definitions and clauses have been included for Farmers’ Produce (Sec.2(a)) and Scheduled Farmers’ Produce (2 (j)) when the intention is to de-regulate both, but one category now put under state APMC Act discretion!!? #APMCBypassBill 2/13

Now, to the APMC BYPASS BILL 2020. It seems to be about replacing current local traders' monopsonies with big business monopolies without government addressing the basic issues around protecting farmers. 1/7 Farmers’ freedom was not curtailed legally in APMCs Act. It's also important to note that only 35% of produce traded in regulated markets. Many things going wrong in these APMCs. However, APMCs provide space for farmers' collective bargaining on price & non-price issues. 2/7

CONTRACT FARMING BILL 2020 AKA Farmers (Empowerment & Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020. THERE IS NO ‘PRICE ASSURANCE’ OR ‘FARMERS’ EMPOWERMENT’ –
title of Bill is a misnomer. Is this allowed in law-making?
1/4 IN AN ACT THAT KEEPS THINGS VOLUNTARY (Farmer ‘may’ enter agreement, ‘may’ have written agreement, it ‘may’ have xyz terms & conditions etc.-- It's not about Sponsor SHALL enter written agreement etc.)- THERE SHALL BE A BAR ON CIVIL COURT JURISDICTION (Sec.19)? How & why? 2/4

Yes, agri-businesses in post-harvest supply chains need predictable regulation to invest. But that doesn't mean govt can give up on its power to regulate for protection of weakest. So, what's wrong with Essential Commodities Amendment Bill 2020, to be introduced today? 1/7 Preamble says it's for enhancing income of farmers but EC Act was never about Farmers or their incomes. There was no restriction under ECA on Farmers or FPOs from stocking produce/selling it. It's established that during retail price rise, benefit is not passed on to farmers.2/7

#PrashantBhushan & Non-existent legal reasoning of SC - Crisp analysis by @gautambhatia88 - "It reminds me of times I used to take a football from halfway line, dribble it across the pitch, and kick it into the goal – without any opposition players on the field. It stands to reason that if an individual has been accused of CoC because they expressed an opinion about role of 4 CJs in undermining democracy, & that individual has filed a Reply setting out the facts upon the basis of which they arrived at that opinion, ....

About @AgriGoI' proposal to ban 27 pesticides. We welcome it. 21 of the 27 pesticides are considered “Highly Hazardous Pesticides”. 17 are “Deemed to be Registered Pesticides) or DRPs. #Ban27Pesticides When India enacted Insecticides Act 1968, around 71 pesticides that were already in use were deemed to be registered, and 17 of these 27 are DRPs. This then means that they have not been registered after a thorough assessment of biosafety and efficacy. #Ban27Pesticides

#कर्जा_मुक्ति_पूरा_दाम - Farmers of India under the banner of @aikscc All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee are launching on historically significant August Kranti day, on August 9th, with a clarion call for corporations to Quit Indian Farming, with 9 key demands. #कर्जा_मुक्ति_पूरा_दाम - 1. Scrap the 3 ordinances that instead of solving farmers' problems, will exacerbate them & put them straight into the stranglehold of big agri and food players. There are many things seriously wrong with each of them! @PMOIndia-they need to be withdrawn

This is what @bsindia wrote today:
Editor’s note: Apart from the response being published under the right of reply, the letter being published has been chosen from several received from NGOs and activists. 1/n The advertorial was published on account of an inadvertent error, and was a clear departure from established practice in the paper. We carried a front page correction, dissociating ourselves from the charges in the advertorial and expressing regret, the very next day. 2/n

An ICAR scientist says, "Green ka matlab hai safe" in a debate on #27PesticidesBan without acknowledging that acute toxicity is only one kind of toxicity. She completely ignores that there is chronic toxicity of diff kinds. "We are scientists" she asserts! Her conception of alternatives is mainly in terms of one molecule being replaced by another. For precisely this reason, we in ASHA held a separate webinar on post-modern pest management science.

@bsindia Editor wrote back to me last night. That, along with my response to them in this continuing conversation is uploaded here: kavithakuruganti.wordpress.com/2020/07/30/let… 1/4 Since many people around me seem to be offended about and aghast at the so-called advertorial being published and since this modality itself is a public interest matter, I am sharing the continuing conversation here. 2/4

My letter to @bsindia Editors: kavithakuruganti.wordpress.com/2020/07/30/let…

BS's Code of Conduct should extend to its 'advertorials' too.

These allegations imperil public spirited citizens like me in numerous ways and it was highly irresponsible of BS to have published for some revenue. 1/7 The fact that the pesticides industry is out to stifle even scientific research by SLAPP cases is well known – that these unscientific methods of the industry got space provided by Business Standard is quite unfortunate and condemnable. 2/7

Reality of 3 major agricultural reforms that GoI has moved:
1. Amendments in Essential Commodities Act-related to farmers only in that Seed & Fertilisers get regulated under Orders of this Act. O/w, this was always abt consumers. To say this will now benefit farmers is laughable. 2. Amendments in APMC legislations and creating "One India - One Market" - There is no evidence to show that de-regulation of markets as is the case with Bihar or Kerala where no APMCs exist has actually ensured remunerative prices for farmers. 2/9

@myogiadityanath Our civil society helpline in AP is doing its best to help migrant workers. Many people who came to us are from UP - panipuri/ice-cream sellers, itinerant cloth sellers etc. Hungry, income-less & looking for gas cylinder refill. UP govt can do better to help! 1/4 Bihar & Jharkhand state govts initiated monetary support to migrant workers from their respective states stuck in other states without income and food now. Thru app based mechanisms, they are trying to transfer financial support to Bihari & Jharkhandi workers in other states. 2/4

Here is a collection of the orders, advisories, addendums, SOP etc., issued by different ministries, departments & agencies which when implemented will help the marginalised survive to an extent the current covid & lockdown catastrophe: drive.google.com/drive/u/1/fold… 1/4 This has MHA's orders/guidelines for supply of essential goods, for mandis to run, for procurement to happen etc. It has orders for hot cooked food to be given to beggars. Orders to take care of stranded migrant workers and students. Economic support package support for poor. 2/4

@TreeboHotels : Can't tell you how much I am regretting booking a treebo property in Visakhapatnam. First, the room, which was a cubbyhole about which the app doesn't provide any details while booking. I fought, waited for 1hr for a resolution and checked in as it was late. The bathroom of Acacia room is not enough to turn around in! Then, in the room, WiFi doesn't work. And two persons came to fiddle with the TV and it still doesn't work! Terrible. I am keeping screenshots and photos of everything. For records. Booking Id: 55949810485

In the upcoming #PesticidesBill, Parliamentarians should ensure that State Governments should be empowered to prohibit particular pesticides as per their own evidence and need. This power should not be limited to just one year, or only pending review. 1/4 As per our Constitution’s Schedule VII, Agriculture and specifically “Protection against Pests and Prevention of Plant Diseases” are in the State List. States should be empowered to prohibit in their jurisdiction. #PesticidesBill 2/4

A thread on the revamping of crop insurance products PMFBY and RWBCIS two days ago pib.gov.in/PressReleasePa… , this is what I can see: 1/10 @tvjayan @SwarajExpress @vishwamTOI @sayantanbera @the_hindu @GaonConnection @CSEINDIA 1. Making the scheme voluntary on farmers & flexible for states will only mean that we will see a dramatic fall in crop insurance in the country - while farmers were feeling cheated and rightly so, this also means that they will be left unprotected. 2/10

For some years now, government tried to react to farmers by coming up with new schemes, dressing up old schemes, exaggerating performance etc. Now, they are saying that they will not do that either. Who should farmers turn to? #Budget2020 @PMOIndia @nsitharaman @nstomar We saw DFI, PMFBY, PMKSY, PM AASHA, PM KISAN, PM Maan Dhan Yojana etc. etc. No deep changes, however. No real addressal of pending issues. @Devinder_Sharma @ramanmann1974 @_YogendraYadav @SardarVm @aviksahaindia @KisanSabha @kiranvissa @Sridhar67 @ananthoo1 @Ajayvirjakhar

WTO is rigged. It was created with well thought rules that favour rich countries and big businesses. Our sugarcane producers are the latest to be caught in that game called Free Trade with Rigged Rules. #Brazil under #Bolsonaro has dragged India to the WTO dispute settlement body The funny part is, unlike in the case of a couple of other agri commodities, the government does not actually procure from farmers or pay them any Fair and Remunerative Prices as they are called. But even the announcement of FRP is under challenge. #RiggedWTO

Farmer unions write to GEAC demanding strict action on illegal GM crop cultivation. They point out that most farmer unions in this country are AGAINST GM crop approval, and the ones who are demanding GM are fringe groups.
indiagminfo.org/farmer-unions-… @PrakashJavdekar @moefcc 1/4 They urged GEAC as the apex regulatory body, to take strong deterrent action against those who are misleading farmers, and against the illegal seed production and supply networks. They asked GEAC to work closely with state govts to ensure regulation is implemented properly. 2/4