INDIAN GOV’T INVITES PROTESTING FARMERS FOR TALKS

The Indian government has invited farmers' unions for talks even as thousands of them held protests in and around New Delhi against a set of laws they say will curb their earnings and benefit big corporations.

The farmers were allowed into the Indian capital after a day of clashes with the police, who used tear gas, water cannon and batons to prevent their entry, the Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa) reported. While a number of them moved to an allotted protest site in New Delhi, thousands continued with their agitation, blocking at least three highways into Delhi, television footage showed.

Agriculture Minister Narendra Tomar invited the farmers for talks on December 3 to resolve the differences. "Talks were held earlier to remove some misconceptions among farmers but remained inconclusive. We are ready to open those talks again," he said. Farmer unions were meanwhile holding discussions on their future course of protest action: whether to block highways or move en masse to Delhi for protests.

India's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government insists that the laws passed by parliament in September will make it easier for farmers to sell their produce to big institutional buyers. The government says this will fetch better prices and free farmers from traditional middlemen who dominate the trade. Critics say the changes will leave farmers vulnerable to market forces. Many Indian farmers are poor and a growing number have committed suicide in recent years often due to money and debt concerns. Agriculture makes up about 15 per cent of India's economy and is the primary source of livelihood for about 58 per cent of its population.