THE THREE FARM LAWS WERE NEVER A SOLUTION

The Hindu published an op-ed by IFPRI Research Fellow Sudha Narayanan on the repeal of the three farm laws in India. Regardless of how this specific step is viewed and the motivations attributed to it, the prolonged protests by farmers and extended impasse offer a rare teachable moment for policy making for Indian agriculture.

While the Centre has the capacity to make landmark changes, true reform and action rests with local governments. States are better placed to assimilate and respond to the diversity of institutional and socioeconomic contexts and agroclimatic regions. They are often better placed to incorporate local concerns for robust and sustainable solutions.