Why are the farmers of Punjab protesting?
Surinder S. Jodhka
Abstract
In early June 2020, the union government of India enacted three legislations concerning agriculture. The new laws were intended to open up the farming sector to an increased commercial engagement by the big corporates, who could purchase, store and even decide through contract farming what crops to produce. Together they were designed to fundamentally change and reorient the pre-existing regulatory framework of Indian agriculture. The farmers, particularly those from the north-western regions see these laws as an attack on farming cultures and their livelihoods. They have been demanding withdrawal of the new laws and an extension of price security for all agricultural commodities. These protests have been on for more than a year. This paper provides a brief overview of the context and the possible implications of the ongoing farmers' movement, the biggest ever in the recent history of India, and perhaps also one of the biggest in the recent past, anywhere in the world. The paper focuses primarily on the agrarian context of Punjab, where it all began and where it remains most pronounced and popular.