Union agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Thursday said that the government is ready to hold discussions with farmers to end the impasse over farm laws. Addressing a press conference, he also reiterated that the new laws passed by Parliament in September will benefit the farmers. He also urged farmers to go through the proposal of amendments that government is planning to incorporate in the farm laws and set a date for discussion. “The government is ready for the discussion,” Tomar also said.
Tomar assured farmers that the new laws will not affect the APMC Act or the minimum support price (MSP) mechanism.
“We sent a proposal to farmers, but they wanted that laws be repealed. We are of the stand that government is ready for open-minded discussions on provisions they have an objection against. Laws don’t affect APMCs or MSP. We tried to explain this to farmers.”
“MSP has got nothing to do with these laws. They do not affect MSP at all. PM had I have explained and assured the farmers that MSP will continue,” Tomar also said.Further reiterating Centre’s stand, Tomar said that laws were passed in an effort to free farmers form the Mandi system and allow them to sell their crops outside the marketplace.The minister also tried to allay fears of the farmers.
“It is being projected that the land of farmers will be occupied by industrialists. Contract farming has been going on for long in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Haryana, Punjab, Karnataka but there has never been such experience,” said Tomar.
Meanwhile, Union minister Piyush Goyal who was also present at the briefing, said, “Modi government was, is and will continue to be committed to the farmers of the country.”
Goyal also said that there is no compulsion on the farmers, they are being given an option to sell their produce.
The address comes a day after government sent a draft proposal of amendments to farmers as it sought to resolve the issue over the farm laws, enacted in the September this year. However, the farmers rejected the proposal and remained firm on the demand to repeal the laws.