Punjab, AP, WB respondents say farm acts didn't give more selling options

While the 3 farm laws have now been repealed, a Supreme Court panel found that the mandi system has not been very effective

The high-powered panel of experts constituted by the Supreme Court on the now repealed three farm acts found that though around two-third of the respondents to their online survey felt that the Trade Act (that put outside mandi transactions away from the control of APMCs) gave more choice to the farmers.

But, a big chunk of the respondents in Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and West Bengal said that the act does not open up that option.

Incidentally, Punjab has been on the forefront of the nearly year-long farmers’ agitation that finally led to repeal of the three acts last year. In Kerala, the mandi system has not been very effective. Punjab, as the committee also found, was also among the foremost states that collected revenues from mandi transactions as on 2019-20, followed by UP and MP. All of which did face the impact of the agitation in varying degrees