A day after several Central Ministers alleged that “divisive elements” have infiltrated the farmers agitation on the outskirts of Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday strongly defended the new agricultural laws saying farmers would benefit the most from the investments in the agriculture sector and will also get new markets and opportunities.
Backing the new farm laws, Modi said all the walls between the agriculture sector and associated sectors have now been removed to provide new opportunities to the farmers across the country.
“Recent farm reforms will give farmers new markets, access to technology and help bring investments in agriculture that will benefit them, “ he said as protesting farmers persisted with their demand for rolling-back of three farm laws which allow trade and contract-farming in the agriculture produce and remove all restrictions in hoarding by amending essential services act.
“In a vibrant economy, when a sector grows, it has a direct influence on other sectors as well. Reforms that we’re doing are removing all such needless frameworks. Our economy doesn’t need hurdles between sectors, but bridges to support each other,” said the Prime Minister.
In the last few years, we’ve made reforms to break all such hurdles. The agriculture sector is one such example. Today, farmers of India can sell their produce both at the mandis, as well as outside. Farmers can also sell their produce on digital platforms. We are taking all these initiatives to increase the farmers’ income and make them more prosperous”, said Modi while virtually addressing 93rd annual convention of FICCI.
“If the farmers of the country become prosperous, the country becomes prosperous,” said the PM.
The PM’s comment in support of new laws come soon after two senior Central Ministers Ravi Shankar Prasad and Piyush Goyal alleged “infiltration” of ‘tukde-tukde-gang’ and that of “ultra-left” elements into the agitation.
Stating that obstacles are being removed between the agriculture and it’s closely related processes, Modi said the cold storage infrastructure will be modernised and would result in more investments in the agriculture sector. Farmers will be benefitted the most from it, he said.
“The farmers have options to sell their crops in mandis as well as to outside parties,” he said assuring that the ‘Mandi System’ would continue.
Protesting farmers, particularly those from Punjab and Haryana, are apprehensive that with the coming of corporate traders (new laws allows contract farming between outside investors and the farmers), the “mandi system” with middle-men (adhatiyas) in operation could be abolished as also the system of Minimum Support Price (MSP).
Interestingly, trading of farm produce is already in practice in the country, including Punjab, and only six per cent of agriculture produce is purchased under the MSP system (operating mostly in Punjab and Haryana).
As the agitation has entered its third-week (17th day), Opposition parties are backing the farmers while the Centre is saying “no” to the roll-back of the farm laws though not unwilling to amend them and guaranteeing the MSP.
The PM’s comments in support of farm laws have come close to the BJP launching its own big awareness campaign with farmers across more than 700 districts in the country.
As the slugfest between the sides continues, Government has allowed doors of negotiations open asking farmers to walk the middle ground.