𝙽𝙾 𝙵𝙰𝚁𝙼𝙴𝚁𝚂, 𝙽𝙾 𝙵𝙾𝙾𝙳!

I am Punjabi, I grew up in Lahore, Punjab and like most Punjabi’s I’m a proud Punjabi. We’re a people know for our hard-working, resilient nature, and as the agricultural backbone of our country amongst many other things.

Tho I’m across the border in Pakistan’s half of Punjab, my counterparts on the other side of the border in India’s half also the agricultural backbone of their nation. But for the last few months, India’s farmers face a threat caused by their own Govt. under the pretense of globalizing India & “helping its farmers” allowing bigger corporations to come in and operate in an unregulated market, basically giving farmers few options to fight bad deals with less oversight.

A nationwide food marketing system was set up called “Mundis” to ensure fair prices and protect farmers from exactly this scenario. It was designed to keeping in mind that farmers can be exploited in numerous ways. And with millions of farmers already have trouble making ends meet which led to debt causing suicide rates to go up amongst farmers.

June 3, 2020, India’s Govt. announced 3 Farming Legislations, ea. deregulating diff. parts of the market.

1. Creating Unregulated trade spaces outside the markets overriding wholesale market rules.
2. Framework for contract farming deals between corporations and farmers with little oversight leading to few options to fight bad deals which will fragment the market.
3. Eliminates storage limits preset by the Govt. to regulate & control prices.

In a country of 1.4 billion people where agriculture makes up half of the population, The Govt. refused negotiations to retract these 3 legislations. So farmers from all over India (Punjab, Bihar, Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, etc) marched to Delhi to PEACEFULLY protesting these legislations and were confronted with police brutality, barricades, tear gas, water canons. These protests are happening everywhere else in the world for those who can not join their brothers and sisters back home (USA, Canada, etc)

This needs to change so spread awareness. Share this, educate yourself and others.