NEW DELHI, Dec 12 - As farmers vowed to expand their protests over the new farm laws, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday assured them that his government was committed to their welfare and that the legislations were aimed at giving them alternate markets to boost income.
Without directly referring to the farmers� agitation, which continued for the 17th day on Saturday, Modi said agriculture reforms as part of government efforts are aimed at removing roadblocks, and the new laws will also bring in technology and investment in the sector.
The government, he said, is committed to protecting the interest and welfare of farmers through its policies and actions.
�Reforms will help draw investment in the agriculture sector and benefit farmers,� he said at the annual meeting of industry body FICCI here. �The aim of all government reforms is to make farmers prosperous.�
The new legislations, which were approved in the previous Parliament session, give farmers an additional option outside of the designated mandis to buy or sell their crops, he said.
�Farmers have now options to sell their crops in mandis as well as to outside parties,� he said. �While mandis are being modernised, digital platform is also available to farmers to buy and sell their produce.�
These efforts are aimed at raising incomes of farmers, he said. �All these efforts are directed towards improving the farmers� income so that they become prosperous. When farmers prosper, the country will prosper.�
�After the implementation of recent reforms, farmers will get new markets and new opportunities and they will get help of technology. The country�s cold storage infrastructure will become modern,� Modi said. �From all these, there will be higher investment in the agriculture sector. The maximum benefit of these reforms would be to small and marginal farmers who earn there living on small plots of land.�
Modi said the government has taken several initiatives to strengthen the agriculture sector. �Today the agriculture sector has become more vibrant than the past,� he said.
Listing his government�s farmer-friendly measures, Modi said the government has encouraged producing ethanol from sugarcane. This ethanol is blended in petrol to cut India�s oil import dependence and gives farmers remunerative prices for their crops, he said.
Modi said farmers will get technology and benefit from access to the market.
Expressing dissatisfaction over the limited participation of India Inc in the agriculture sector, the Prime Minister asked industries to show their interest and increase investment in the sector. Unfortunately, India Inc has not made adequate investments in agriculture and private players did not explore the sector to its full potential, rather they worked in a limited fashion, he said.
Citing an example, he said, �the private sector�s participation is not as per the desired level in cold storage and fertiliser manufacturing�. He said rural India is growing faster than urban centres in certain aspects of the economy and offers a prime market for investors. � PTI