Why Are India’s Farmers Protesting? Here’s What You Need to Know

  • Navi Ahluwalia

Article on the farmer's protest in India, explaining the three laws that farmers are protesting, the effects they'll have, and why it's important.

Protests have been taking place all over India in the past month, and this week, they spread to the UK. The protests have come about as a result of three major farming and deregulation laws that were passed in India back in September, that don't have farmers' best interests at heart. Not only do the laws negatively impact the livelihoods of India's farmers, but they also weren't consulted during the decision-making process, and since passing, their pleas to repeal have been consistently ignored.

As a result of the laws being introduced, and approved by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, farmers in Punjab have taken part in peaceful protests in order to get their voices heard. Note the word peaceful. As with many peaceful protests that go against government rules, things can get violent, and sadly, India has been no exception. Protesting farmers in India have been met with tear gas, water cannons, and assault weapons deployed by the riot police and paramilitary officers. Members of Modi's party are even going so far as to say that these farmers are "anti-national", simply for exercising their rights and asking for support. Sound familiar?

There's been a lot of simplified posts on social media recently about what's been going on in India, but it's important to have a view on all the facts and know exactly what they mean. We had a look at the laws in question and their possible impacts to help distinguish what the farmers are protesting for and how they're being treated in return. Though there's a lot of conflicting opinions about what the laws actually state, and whether or not they will impact farmers in the way they say, but what's clear is that the protests symbolise a human rights issue for India's farmers.

Read on to find out more about the laws, how they may be negatively impacting farmers, and what this means for the millions of us that directly benefit from the crops they grow.

A Little Background on Farming in India

Agriculture has long been one of the main sources of income for the people of India. In fact, it employs over half of their population (approximately 58 percent) according to IBEF. Specifically for the people of Punjab, located in the north west of India, farming has been one of the only ways for them to earn their livelihood and provide for their families. Punjab has long been known as the "breadbasket" of India because of its fertile land, but despite the sheer number of people — both male and female — employed in this lucrative and important industry, the conditions in which they work are far from ideal. In fact, women actually work longer hours on these farms than men, according to statistics published by The Second Angle from Oxfam India, which states that "women log 3,300 hours of work on farm labour during a crop season, compared to the 1,860 hours logged by men." This means that not only are the hours long and the financial reward minuscule, but more women are also being adversely affected.

Farmers in India today don't earn much money, face mountains of debt (and more so now, after Prime Minister Modi increased the prices of fuel, fertiliser, and pesticides during the coronavirus pandemic), and frequently work overtime in order to feed their families and keep their homes afloat. The reason they work this hard is simple: there is an increased demand from other countries for the crops that they grow. We need their crops to survive. But in the age of fair-trade farming and a desire for increased sustainability, how can we continue to demand the crops these farmers struggle to grow, knowing the conditions they're forced to suffer in?
Speaking of suffering, India has one of the highest suicide rates in the world, according to World Health Organisation (WHO). In 2019, a total of 10,281 farmers and farm labourers died by suicide across the country, as evidenced by statistics from the National Crime Records Bureau published by the New York Times. In the past five years, farmer suicides in Punjab have increased by more than 12 times, based on government reports.

In the 1940s, the British empire left India and dismantled the region of Punjab, displacing thousands of people. Farmers in the region have long suffered from generational trauma as a result, and today, the fight continues.
FULL ARTICLE: https://www.popsugar.co.uk/news/farmers-protest-what-happening-in-india-right-now-48038815