Farm Laws versus Field Realities: Understanding India’s Agricultural Markets

Abstract

This paper evaluates the actual state of agricultural markets and existing agricultural market regulation in India. It contrasts this with the design of the new “farm laws,” and argues that those reforms may be misdirected in many respects. The paper makes a case for better understanding of intermediation, the need for several kinds of public investment, improvements in production conditions in agriculture, and attention to the broader economic context within which agricultural marketing reforms occur.