A rally held in Medicine Hat in support of farmers in India (Tiffany Goodwein/CHATNewsToday)

By Tiffany Goodwein

‘Our hearts are still over there,:’Hatters rally in support of farmers in India

Dec 12, 2020 | 5:54 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB- A long line of cars made their way throughout Southridge Saturday afternoon each standing in solidarity with farmers in India who have been protesting for two months following the passing of three new farming laws.

The farmers in protest argue the new laws passed by the Narendra Modi’s government will devastate local farmers, by deregulating crop prices only to benefit the larger corporate entities.

One of the protester’s biggest concerns is the no guarantee of a minimum support price, which according to local protesters was put in place to protect farmers from exploitation.

“What this means is big corporations can come in now and they can charge as little as a couple of cents for produce which is going to put small farmers out of business because they can’t compete against it,” said protester Harleen Ratol.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has argued the new laws will boost production through private investment, but protestors say there was little consultation with stakeholders and it leaves farmers with little to no protection for their livelihoods.

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“ The current system is really robust. It helps the farmers, and it has in the last 50 years and there’s no concrete reason to push this new law,” said protester Tejinder Bajwa.

Farming remains the largest source of income in the country, with approximately 70 percent of rural households relying on farming as a way of life, according to the Food and Agriculture organization of the United Nations.

At the protest in Medicine Hat, many participating were from a farming background, and have family back home in India who are farmers themselves.

“Obviously our hearts are still over there,” said Bajwa.

The protesters mazed their way through the south area of the city starting at the Medicine Hat College, and traveling along Strachan and Dunmore road.

by Tiffany Goodwein

‘Our hearts are still over there,:’Hatters rally in support of farmers in India

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