Page 53 - Putting Farmers First

BIPARTISAN CONSENSUS BEHIND PRO-FARMER
REFORMS

“Experts have been advocating these reforms for a long
time. Even political parties have been asking for votes in
the name of these reforms. Everyone desired that these
reforms should happen. The issue is that the opposition
parties do not wish that we get the credit.
We also don’t want credit. We brought reforms keeping
in mind the welfare of farmers and workers and they
understand and trust our intentions because of our track
record.
We have gone about reforming the agriculture sector
step by step in the past six years. So, what we have done
today is one piece in the chain of actions that we started
in 2014. We also hiked MSPs multiple times and in fact,
we procured many times more from farmers at MSP than
earlier governments did. Both irrigation and insurance
saw huge improvement. Direct income support was
ensured for farmers.

What has been lacking in Indian farming is commensurate
return for all the blood and toil put in by our farmers. The
new structure brought by these reforms will significantly
increase the profitability of our farmers. As in other
industries, once the profits are earned, it is reinvested
back in the sector for generating more produce. A
virtuous cycle of profit and reinvestment emerges. In the
farming sector as well, this cycle will open doors for more
investment, innovation and new technology. Thus, these
reforms hold immense potential to transform not just
the agriculture sector but the entire rural economy.”

PM Modi in an interview to Economic Times,
29 October, 2020