CPI(M) Demands Immediate Withdrawal of Draft National Agricultural Marketing Policy

Madurai: The 24th Congress of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), held in Madurai, has adopted a strong resolution demanding the immediate withdrawal of the draft “National Policy Framework on Agricultural Marketing” (NPFAM) issued by the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare. The party has warned that the draft represents an attempt by the RSS-BJP-led Union government to reintroduce, through the back door, the controversial and previously repealed three farm laws.
The draft policy has been criticised for prioritising corporate interests over the welfare of India’s farmers. It bypasses major demands raised by the farmers’ movement — such as legal guarantees for a remunerative Minimum Support Price (MSP), loan waivers, comprehensive crop insurance, increased public investment in agriculture, and accessible, pro-farmer credit. Instead, it introduces a framework that weakens the authority of state governments and undermines the federal structure.
Though agricultural marketing is a State subject under Article 246 of the Constitution, the draft seeks to dismantle state-supported agricultural infrastructure, curtail the functioning of Agricultural Produce Market Committees (APMCs), and expose small and medium farmers to the dominance of private trading entities.
Proposed reforms include the setting up of private wholesale markets, permission for direct farm gate procurement by corporate processors and exporters, the replacement of traditional market yards with corporate-controlled warehouses and silos, and the implementation of a unified, statewide market fee and licensing system. These measures would allow large corporations to bypass APMC mandis. Business conglomerates such as Reliance and Adani have already developed expansive warehouse infrastructure and private rail corridors in locations like Sirsa (Haryana) and Ludhiana (Punjab).
Corporate lobbies and international finance capital have long opposed MSP, aiming to procure farm produce at minimal cost, carry out value addition through processing and branding, and generate massive profits — a model that exploits both producers and consumers. The current draft promotes such a system under the pretext of market efficiency, thereby deepening rural indebtedness and worsening the agrarian crisis.
The draft policy also envisions full-scale corporatisation of agriculture as its central objective. It positions the Farmer Producer Organisation (FPO) scheme — a flagship initiative of the central government — as an instrument to facilitate corporate entry through contract farming. The backing of industrial bodies like CII and FICCI for this model exposes the profit-driven agenda behind the policy shift.
Additionally, the CPI(M) raised alarms over proposals to deepen the financialisation of agriculture through the introduction of Futures and Options Markets, warning that this would enable multinational corporations and global finance capital to dominate India’s food supply chains and compromise food security.
Widespread opposition to the draft is already underway. The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) has led coordinated protests across the country, with thousands of farmers burning copies of the draft policy. Two major Kisan Mahapanchayats in Haryana and Punjab together drew more than 75,000 farmers.
The CPI(M)’s 24th Party Congress concluded by urging all its party units to join and strengthen the struggle against what it views as an anti-farmer and pro-corporate policy agenda. The party reaffirmed its commitment to stand with the country’s farmers and called for the complete withdrawal of the draft National Policy Framework on Agricultural Marketing.