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

By Tiffany Goodwein (CHAT News Today)

supporting indian ag workers

Medicine Hat residents rally in support of Indian farmers

Dec 13, 2020 | 11:15 AM

MEDICINE HAT, AB- A long line of cars made their way through Medicine Hat’s Southridge area on 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 Narendra Modi’s government will devastate local farmers, by deregulating crop prices only to benefit the larger corporate entities.

One of the protesters biggest concerns is the no guarantee of a minimum support price, which according to local protestors 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 protestor Harleen Ratol.

Prime Minister 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, as it has in the last 50 years, and there there’s no concrete reason to push this new law,” said protest attendee 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 protestors mazed their way through the south area of the city starting at the Medicine Hat College, and travelling along Strachan and Dunmore roads.

(CHAT News Today)