Pro-farmer organisations backed by a number of other social and political outfits today staged protests across Karnataka over the amendments to the APMC and land reforms act.
The demonstrations were against two important amendments to the Karnataka Land Reforms Act and the Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee Act passed by the Karnataka Assembly despite strong objection by the opposition parties, mainly the Congress and JD(S).
The amendment to the KLR Act lifts restrictions on purchasing agricultural land and enables any individual to purchase it.
Earlier, the law permitted only the farmers to purchase agricultural land in the state.
The repeal of certain provisions in the APMC Act through an amendment allows private players to directly purchase agriculture produce from farmers, which was prohibited earlier.
The protesters alleged that these laws will ruin the agriculture sector as people with moneybags will purchase agricultural land to convert their black money into white and turn agriculture land into real estate business.
