Farmers should get more avenues to sell crops, says PM Narendra Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday underlined the need for higher participation of private players in the farm sector, including in research and development.

Without making any direct reference to the three farm reform laws and the three-month-old protests by farmers over the issue, Modi said there was a need for expanding options for the country’s farming community to sell agriculture produce.

The prime minister was addressing a webinar on the effective implementation of Budget provisions regarding the agriculture ministry. He said a food processing revolution was needed in the country to add value to farm produce and to realise better prices.

“Today the need of the hour is that farmers of the country get more and more options to sell their produce,” he said.

The PM said contract farming had been present in one form or the other for a long time now and it should be ensured that such farming was not done just as a commercial concept but should also address the duties towards land of the country.

While the Modi government says the three Acts give farmers alternate options to sell their produce, thousands of farmers from Punjab and other states have been protesting at Delhi borders against the laws which they see will end the government procurement at minimum support price (MSP).

The prime minister highlighted provisions for agriculture in the Union Budget and said the agriculture credit target had been hiked to Rs 16.5 trillion with priority to animal husbandry, dairy, and fisheries sector.

He said the Rural Infrastructure Fund had been increased to Rs 40,000 crore and allocation for micro irrigation had been doubled. The Scope of Operation Green Scheme has been expanded to 22 perishable products and 1,000 more mandis with e-NAM will be linked, Modi said.

The prime minister laid emphasis on the effective and timely implementation of these Budget provisions so that benefits reach to the maximum people.

“There is a need for post-harvest revolution or food processing revolution and value addition in the country in the 21st century, amidst ever-increasing agricultural production,” he said.