Nearly 85% farmers’
groups supported the three controversial agriculture laws brought in by the
Centre and later repealed following massive protests, according to the report
prepared by a three-member Supreme Court-appointed committee to look at the validity
and purpose of the farm laws. The report stated, addressing the demands for
repeal at the time, that a repeal or suspension would be “unfair to the silent
majority.”

Anil Ghanwat, one
of the three members of the committee and a member of Shetkari Sangathana, made
the report public on Monday. The two other members of the committee, economists
Ashok Gulati and Pramod Kumar Joshi were absent from the press conference called
by Ghanwat who expressed his frustration at the report being allowed to gather
dust for a year.

Also Read | A look back at farm laws and farmers’ protest

Ghanwat said he
had appealed to the Supreme Court to make the report public but received no
response and finally went ahead to release the report himself. Instead of a
repeal, the Supreme Court panel favoured some flexibility in implementation of
the three laws.

The three agriculture
laws brought in by the Centre through legislation in 2020 were:

The Farmers’
Producers Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation Act) which aimed to
allow the sale of agriculture produce outside mandis regulated by the
Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) set up by states-based legislation.

The Farmers
(Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act
provided for contract farming.

And the third, the
Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act deregulated the production, supply,
distribution of food such as cereals, pulses, potatoes, onion and edible
oilseeds.

The three
legislations caused a massive stir across Punjab, western Uttar Pradesh and
Haryana. A year-long wave of protests ensued and the government had to give in
to the public demand and give up on what it believed would make India’s
agriculture more efficient and what people opposed to the idea thought would
make it more reliant on private industry.

More than a year
later, after several farmers were reported to have died protesting in the harsh
Delhi winter and rounds after rounds of conversations failing, the Centre
decided to repeal the laws. Now, after the laws have been repealed, the report
prepared by the Supreme Court panel suggests that more farmers were inclined towards
the three laws.

The SC panel
report states that it had reached out to 266 farmer organisations, including
protesting farm unions, and interacted directly with 73 groups before making the
report.