New Delhi [India], March 19 : Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Wednesday criticised the opposition for raising what he described as "unwarranted concerns" over recent agricultural agreements in trade deals.
Replying to the debate in Lok Sabha on the Demands for Grants for the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Chouhan defended the trade agreements. He emphasised that, in his capacity as a farmer, a citizen, and the Agriculture Minister, he firmly believes that all agricultural agreements and FTAs that have been signed serve the interests of both farmers and the nation.
He reiterated that the criticism directed at these agreements is unfounded and maintained that they are beneficial for the country's agricultural sector.
"Unwarranted fingers have been pointed here regarding agricultural agreements. As a farmer, as a citizen, and as India's Minister of Agriculture, I am stating with full responsibility that all the agricultural agreements and FTAs that have been made are in the interest of the farmers and in the interest of the country," said Chouhan.
Chouhan highlighted that the government's first major action was merging the department with agriculture to form the Department of Farmer Welfare, describing it as a move made with "heartfelt intent." He then discussed the budget, noting that in 2013-14, the agriculture budget was Rs 21,933 crore, whereas this year, Rs 1,30,561 crore has been allocated.
He said the increase is unprecedented and only includes the agriculture department. If fisheries, animal husbandry, food processing, and fertilisers, which are directly credited to farmers' accounts, are included, the total rises to Rs 3,32,410 crore. He expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Finance Minister for this.
"I have already said that constructive criticism is welcome. Let me get to the point. The very first action this government took was merging the department with agriculture to form the Department of Farmer Welfare. This was done with our heartfelt intent. Now coming to the budget -- I want to talk about how much budget and allocation were made. In 2013-14, the agriculture budget was Rs 21,933 crore. I am talking about 2013-14. Before that -- and I will go further -- the opposition may make noise, but today, when this budget is presented, Rs 1,30,561 crore has been allocated," said Chouhan.
The Agriculture Minister outlined the government's three main objectives: ensuring national food security, easing and improving farmers' livelihoods, and ensuring nutritious food reaches the public. To achieve these goals, a roadmap has been prepared with a focus on increasing production.
Chouhan said that under Prime Minister Modi's leadership, foodgrain production has reached a historic level of 357.3 million metric tons, compared to 265 million tons in 2014-15, and coarse cereal production has risen from 277.35 million metric tons to 370 million metric tons. He added that wheat, rice, maize, peanuts, and soybeans have set new records, and India has become number one in rice production.
"The increase in this budget is unprecedented, and this is only the agriculture department budget. If we add fisheries, animal husbandry, food processing, and fertilizers -- because fertilizer subsidies go directly to farmers' accounts -- it comes to Rs 3,32,410 crore. I am grateful to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Finance Minister for this," said Chouhan.
"Our agricultural policy has three main objectives: Ensure national food security - In the current world full of instability and uncertainty, we cannot depend on any other country for our food. Therefore, our first task is to secure the country's food security. Ease and improve farmers' livelihoods. Ensure nutritious food reaches the public," he added.
Chouhan also emphasised ensuring farmers receive fair prices and reducing production costs. He cited PM-Kisan Nidhi, contrasting it with previous government schemes, noting that earlier governments provided very little, not even a single penny directly into farmers' accounts.
He added that past debt waiver announcements worth Rs 60,000 crore often failed to reach deserving farmers and were marred by scams. In contrast, under PM-Kisan Nidhi alone, Rs 4,27,000 crore has been directly transferred to farmers' accounts in 22 instalments.
"Not only have we increased productivity, but we have also ensured that farmers get the right price. To reduce production costs, we set specific goals. Talking about PM-Kisan Nidhi, the previous governments provided very little -- not even a single penny directly to farmers' accounts. Earlier, there was a loud announcement of debt waivers worth Rs 60,000 crore, but many deserving people did not benefit, and there were scams. But in PM-Kisan Nidhi alone, Rs 4,27,000 crore has been directly transferred to farmers' accounts in 22 instalments," said Chouhan.