NEW DELHI: There will be no trade agreement that will harm the interests of our farmers, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said, adding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has placed farmers’ welfare and national interest above all else.
India’s rapid development has made some parts of the world uneasy.
“Our philosophy is ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ — the world is one family — and our agreements are based on equality, ” said the minister during an interaction with farmers here.
He cited India’s agreement with the UK, under which Indian agricultural products can be exported to the UK without any duty or tax.
However, Chouhan warned that if an agreement allowed a flood of cheap foreign produce like maize, soybeans, or wheat into India, it would ruin Indian farmers, as there is no comparison between our small farms (1–5 acres) and huge foreign farms (10, 000–20, 000 hectares).
“Such cheap imports would depress prices and make it impossible for Indian farmers to recover their costs, ” he said, commending PM Modi for assuring that no agreement will be made that harms the interests of our farmers, livestock rearers, or fishers.
Chouhan also administered a pledge to the farmers to adopt the Swadeshi (indigenous) movement as per the call of PM Modi, stating that if we buy goods made in our own states and country, we will generate employment for millions of people in the country.
He said that "Swadeshi" means goods made within the country.