First today, there's a standoff taking place in India between the nation's government and the nation's farmers. This country is often called the world's largest democracy. It has the world's second largest population with 1.3 billion people, and more than half of those people make their living in agriculture. India is very heavily reliant on farming. So, what's this disagreement over?
The Indian government passed three new laws last Fall that many farmers don't like. They concern the prices of certain crops. For decades, the Indian government required farmers to sell the foods they grew at state auctions and the government guaranteed a minimum price that farmers would get for those foods. Last year, the government decided to allow farmers to sell their crops anywhere like grocery stores or to buyers in other states.
They no longer need to go through state auctions, but they also won't be guaranteed the minimum price anymore. India's government says this will increase market competition and potentially the farmer's income.
But if there's a lot of supply, the growers might not get as much money for their crops. And some farmers are concerned that if large companies get involved in the new buying and selling structure, they could also drive crop prices down below what used to be the minimum. Large protests welled up soon after the laws were passed, and they've gotten bigger since. Witnesses say they've been mostly peaceful, but some marches did turn violent in New Delhi. And police used water cannons and teargas to keep demonstrators from entering the capital. Negotiations have been going on for months between the Indian government and the leaders of more than 30 farmers unions. But so far, they haven't found a compromise. And some protesting farmers say they're not going anywhere until the new laws are eliminated.
