New Delhi . Union Food Processing Minister Chirag Paswan presented the Central Government’s side in detail on issues related to trade deals, farmers and the country’s economy in a program organized in New Delhi. The Union Food Processing Minister said that the opposition is unnecessarily engaged in spreading confusion regarding the possible trade agreement with America. He said that no responsible government can compromise with the interests of the largest and most sensitive section of the country, i.e. farmers. Union Minister Paswan said, “We are also public representatives and we also have to go among the people. No political party can move forward by ignoring the interests of the farmers.”
Rejecting the allegations of the opposition, he said that in the last decade, the central government under the leadership of Narendra Modi has taken concrete steps towards the empowerment of farmers. The priority of the Central Government has been to increase the income of farmers and strengthen the agriculture sector. He said that the dream of developed India can be realized only when the farmers of the country are economically strong. Referring to the ongoing economic reforms in the country, Union Minister Paswan said that initiatives like Jan Dhan Yojana, UPI and Direct Benefit Transfer have given new strength to the economic structure of the country. Through these schemes, government assistance has directly reached the accounts of the beneficiaries, thereby increasing transparency and reducing the role of middlemen. He said many sectors, which were marginalized for a long time, were integrated into the formal economy, resulting in an increase in the number of taxpayers. Describing the food processing sector as a gamechanger for the rural economy, Minister Chirag Paswan said that due to lack of storage and processing facilities, farmers often have to sell their produce at low prices. If value addition and modern processing are promoted, the shelf life of crops will increase, better prices will be obtained and food wastage will be reduced. This can also create new employment opportunities in rural areas.
Union Minister Paswan said that India has the potential to play an important role in global food security and the country can become a “Global Food Basket”. The government is working towards making agriculture and food processing globally competitive through investment, infrastructure and policy reforms. He assured that the interests of farmers will be fully protected while promoting trade agreements and investments.