Farmers' interests safeguarded in India-US trade deal, reiterates Chouhan

Amid a war of words between Centre and Opposition on the US-India trade deal, Chouhan accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of levelling false allegations on a daily basis

Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday said the recent India-US trade deal was finalised after careful consideration and the government has ensured that no decision would harm the farming community.

Speaking at a programme in Jaipur, he said, "I am speaking with full responsibility as the Agriculture Minister of India. In the trade agreement, we have taken complete care of the interests of Indian farmers. It has been ensured that there will be no loss for India's farming community," he said.

On imports, Chouhan said the country has to bring in the things it need.

"Even today, we are not self-sufficient when it comes to pulses. If something that we need comes from another country, what is the objection?" he asked.

 

Similarly, he said, India imports around 5.5 lakh metric tonnes of apples.

"They come from countries like Turkey and Iran. If one lakh metric tonnes come from the United States, after ensuring that it does not affect our farmers, what is the problem?" he asked.

On cotton, he said the textile industry faces shortages. "When cotton production falls short, we have to import," the minister said.

Chouhan said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is levelling false allegations on a daily basis.

"There is one leader who is a part-time politician and a full-time dramatist. He neither understands trade nor tradition. Those who have never seen villages and farms are making allegations every day," he said.

The Union minister asked why the former United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government had refused to implement the Swaminathan Committee report, which recommended that Minimum Support Price (MSP) should be fixed at 50 per cent above the cost of production."  "The UPA government filed an affidavit saying that this would distort the market. It was Prime Minister Narendra Modi who decided that MSP will be given at 50 per cent above cost," he said.

Chouhan asked why the Congress did not create a buffer stock when there was record sugar production in 2006-07.

"When prices fell, why were farmers not protected? What kind of trade was it to import sugar at ₹36 per kilogram and export it at ₹12.50?" he asked.

He said India was self-reliant in edible oils till 1993-94, but the Congress government put them under open general licence, making the country dependent on imports.

"There were thousands of tonnes of foodgrain lying in warehouses. Even the Supreme Court had said it should be distributed to the poor. But UPA government said that the court should not interfere," he said.

Chouhan said it is the NDA government led by Narendra Modi that is providing free foodgrain to 80 crore poor people.

Farmers are "Annadata", he said, adding that the government is working to promote the interests of farmers and empower them with technology.

"We must move towards natural farming. We must link agriculture with animal husbandry and other activities so that farmers' income increases," he said.

"Our effort is to reduce and eliminate the difficulties faced by farmers. Farmers' welfare is the top priority for the NDA," he added.

On the occasion, the agriculture minister launched an Artificial Intelligence-based platform -- Bharat-VISTAAR -- for farmers.

Bharat-VISTAAR is a multi-layered digital platform designed to provide end-to-end support to the agricultural community.

Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma also addressed the programme, which was virtually attended by agriculture ministers from different states.