Repeal two farm laws passed in Karnataka last year, says Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha

Bengaluru: Buoyed by the repealing of three farm laws by the Centre, the Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha, a farmers’ body, on Friday put forth a demand to withdraw the Karnataka APMC (Amendment) Act and the Karnataka Land Reforms (Amendment) Act, which were introduced the previous year.

The Sangha convenor Kodihalli Chandrashekar said if the two laws were not repealed in Karnataka, they would stage a Statewide highway blockade on November 26.

The two laws were passed despite protests by the opposition Congress in 2020.

The APMC Act allows farmers to sell their produce outside the Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (APMC).

The Land Reforms Amendment Act allows anyone to purchase agricultural land, which was earlier restricted to those with agricultural backgrounds and had agricultural land.

Welcoming Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decision to repeal the three central laws, Chandrashekar, who spearheaded the farmers’ agitation in the State, said the amendment to the APMC Act and the Land Reforms Act passed by the State is anti-farmer.

”There is a fear that the small and marginalized farmers will lose land to those with money bags if the Land Reforms Amendment Act is not repealed in Karnataka,” he said.

He added that the Centre should now focus on introducing more technology in farming in the rural areas to give a fillip to the agricultural sector.