in the past six years, grains were not being procured, MSP rates were not being announced or the number of items covered under MSP was coming down. But if you compare the last six years with any six years ever before or the six years before us, the quantum of procurement, the price given and the price announced well in time for the farmer to prepare, has risen by at least one-and-half-times,” Nirmala Sitharaman said. https://twitter.com/IndiaToday/status/1337408133598101504?s=20
Asked regarding the accusation that the government did not hold adequate consultations to bring trust to stakeholders prior to introducing these rules, the Minister of Finance said that such accusations were “unbelievable”
“It is unbelievable that this particular allegation is being levelled against the government,” she added, adding that consultations on these three laws have been held since 2000, when Atal Bihar Vajpayee was prime minister.
Responding to a query as to why the government is so hesitant to consider the farmers’ demand for the MSP guarantee to be included in the legislation, Nirmala Sitharaman said that doing so would make the procedure very tight and rigid.
“MSP is decided by the Committee on Agriculture and Costs and Development. It meets any time before a commodity price needs to be reported. If you place it (MSP) in the legislation and make it static, the costing would become so strict that even if you want a desirable improvement, it cannot happen.
Despite six rounds of negotiations, the deadlock between the protesting farmers and the government continued, and the government submitted a formal request to the farmers’ union.
Farmer leaders have declared that they will step up their agitation and continue to block major highways linking the national capital and even the railway tracks.
Speaking of the dialogue that has taken place between the farmers’ unions and the government, Nirmala Sitharaman said the image she has gathered is that the farmers’ leaders have not mentioned any unique concerns that concern them with the farm legislation.
“The Minister of Agriculture has said that he is willing to negotiate the rules, section by section, clause by clause, with the farmers, and that if there is an issue in any of them, he is willing to go back and make the required amendments.
Reiterating the government’s call for dialogue, Nirmala Sitharaman said that she wants farmers to engage with the government in talks and discuss particular issues of concern to them.
“We will answer all questions of the farmers and appeal them to engage in discussions,” she said.
