Modi fails to assuage farmers on laws

NEW DELHI, India－Three new farm laws recently enacted will pump more investment into agriculture and greatly benefit farmers, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi says.

His government is committed to taking care of farmers' interests, he said.

"The cold storage infrastructure will be modernized," Modi said in an address to the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry on Saturday.

"This will result in more investments in the agriculture sector. Farmers will be benefited the most out of it."

The remarks came on a day when farmers across the country protested against the three new laws by blocking major highways connecting Delhi with cities in other states. Saturday was the 17th day of the farmers' protests.

"We had seen walls between the agriculture sector and other areas associated with it, be it agriculture infrastructure, food processing, storage or cold chain," Modi said.

Obstacles 'removed'

"All walls and obstacles are being removed now. After reforms, farmers will get new markets, options and more benefits of technology."

The three farm laws passed by the country's Parliament are the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act 2020, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act 2020, and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act 2020.

On Sunday, despite Modi's reassurances, tens of thousands of Indian farmers continued to protest.

Six rounds of talks between government officials and farmer union leaders have failed to resolve the challenge Modi's government faces.

Farmers have been camping at interstate borders around Delhi for more than two weeks after being stopped by the Delhi police from entering the country's national capital.

Presently the federal and state governments procure agriculture products from farmers at a minimum support price, fixed every year.

One of the farmers' main complaints is that the new laws will benefit private companies that they say will ultimately exploit farmers by procuring their produce at a price below the minimum support price.

Xinhua - Agencies