An analysis of the legal regime for agricultural marketing in India

Despite the significant growth in the Indian economy and the expansion of the primary sector, farmers continue to live in extreme poverty and their hopelessness has been on the rise. Improving farmers’ conditions is crucial because there is no way to avoid the agrarian crisis or their dilemma. Over the years, the government has implemented several reforms despite farmers generally opposing these attempts. It goes without saying that the government must continue to develop the industry if it is to ensure the farmers in India continue to profit. The agricultural market system which is predominantly guided by the agricultural produce marketing legislations, has major flaws, which raises significant challenges in achieving a strong position for a farmer. The policies around price assurance have led to acute interventions, which have been attributed to fragmentation. On the one hand, government intervention is necessary, but on the other hand, too much of it will lead to negative effects. It calls for regulatory reform of the whole system using a balanced approach. This study has analysed the present-day structural problems in the marketing sector with relevance to the historical background of the reforms and suggested a few policy changes for a better future for the farmers.