Mumbai: The Maharashtra government on Tuesday tabled its own farm bills with multiple changes, including the provision for minimum support price (MSP), compared to the three contentious laws of the Centre. The changes include mandatory minimum support price for farmers, license for traders, recovery against cheating, punishment not less than three years and a fine of ₹5 lakh against the offenders. The three amendment bills introduced in the state assembly have been opened for people to give their suggestions in the next two months. All suggestions received will be examined and changes will be made by the departments concerned, if necessary. The bills will be reintroduced in the winter session of the state legislature for approval. Agriculture minister Dada Bhuse said, “The laws passed by the Centre have no provision for making MSP mandatory for the farmers, which we have decided to incorporate in our law. No agreement will be found valid if the price of produce is quoted less than MSP.”

The decision was taken considering the demand from various outfits of the farmers for consultation before approving them in the state legislature, the state said. It was taken in the state cabinet meeting held on Tuesday morning. The amendment bills — Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020, Farmers’ Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020 and Essential Commodities Act, 1955 – were introduced by Bhuse, marketing minister BalasahebPatil and food and civil supplies minister ChhaganBhujbal, respectively. “Farming agreement shall not be valid unless the price paid to a farmer (against its produce) is equal to or greater than MSP,” states the amendment bill for Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020.

It stated that the farmer and sponsor (trader) can make a farming agreement below the minimum support price with mutual consent for a maximum period of two years. The bill also allows a farming agreement for crops where the minimum support price is not declared, in which case, the farmer and sponsor (trader) may enter into an agreement with a mutually agreed price. As agriculture comes under the concurrent list, the bill also talks about a provision for power to the state to make rules.

Bhuse urged people to give their suggestions so further changes can be made in the draft bills. The amendment in the Farmers’ Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020 stated, “No trader shall trade in any scheduled farmers’ produce unless such trader has a valid license of a competent authority.” It is against the provision of the central law that allows the trade of agricultural produce having just a PAN card which was strongly opposed by the farmers’ outfits.