Srinagar: Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Monday said the interests of the farmers and the country have been kept paramount in all the free trade agreements (FTAs) between India and other nations.
He was reacting to the allegations of Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi that Prime Minister Narendra Modi “sold” India’s agriculture to the US.
“They (Congress) did not do anything ever. They destroyed farmers and our farms.
“Now if we are working, he has to make accusations here or there. I can say this firmly that all the FTAs that have taken place have been done while keeping the interests of the people of India above all,” Chouhan told reporters here.
The Union minister said the FTAs have been done keeping the interests of the farmers paramount.
“There have been several FTAs, (but) there has been none with the US yet. Whichever FTA has been done, those are in the interests of the farmers and the country,” he added.
To a question about concern among Apple growers over the FTA with New Zealand, Chouhan said the import is being done on “our own conditions”.
“I am meeting the growers here. We will listen to them,” he said.
The minister said India has a consumption of 26 lakh metric tons of apples and around 20 lakh metric tons are produced in the country.
“We still import six lakh metric tons of apples from outside. Our endeavour is to increase the production in the country to stop importing apples.
“But, till it is imported, it is on our own conditions, and not theirs, by protecting our farmers. That means, we decide the price,” he said.
Chouhan said India imposes import duty on apples.
“It has been imported for several years now as we are in deficit, but we keep the interests of the farmers paramount,” he said.
The Union minister will launch Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY)-IV, Batch-II at a special programme at SKICC here on Tuesday.
Chouhan will also release Rs 4,568.23 crore as the central share to 24 states and Union Territories under DAY-NRLM, reaffirming the Centre’s commitment to creating ‘Lakhpati Didis’ in Jammu and Kashmir.
