Farmers’ body seeks reforms in agriculture sector

A delegation of the Consortium of Indian Farmers Association (CIFA) has met Union parliamentary affairs minister Venkaiah Naidu and apprised him of several issues concerning farmers’ fraternity and urged him to raise the demands with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

A delegation of the Consortium of Indian Farmers Association (CIFA) has met Union parliamentary affairs minister Venkaiah Naidu and apprised him of several issues concerning farmers’ fraternity and urged him to raise the demands with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Satnam Singh Bheru said Naidu also arranged their meeting with Nripendra Misra, principal secretary to Modi, to discuss their demands in detail.

Bheru said they apprised both Naidu and Misra about issues such as immediate steps to mitigate worries of sugarcane growers, minimum support price (MSP) of basmati varieties, approval to genetic mustard varieties and bringing reforms in farming sector by ensuring technological assistance to the farmers.

He added that they sought the Centre’s assistance in exporting sugar, besides creating a buffer stock in coming months to save the farmers and the sugar industry.

“We have also requested the Union government to establish sugarcane price stablisation fund to protect the interest of the farmers. Moreover, we have demanded MSP for basmati due to fluctuation of prices in national and international market, besides insisting government to streamline process of exporting basmati to other countries,” he said.

The farmer body also sought `the union government’s direction to the ministry of environment to immediately convene a meeting of Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) and to give approval to genetic mustard varieties.

Meanwhile, they also requested the Centre to set up a national farmers’ advisory committee to establish a permanent cabinet sub-committee and a full-time cabinet secretary to advice the Prime Minister on farmers’ issues from time to time.