Dismaying to see Sharad Pawar`s tweets employ mix of ignorance and misinformation on agriculture reforms: Narendra Singh Tomar

Tomar said, `Sharad Pawar ji is a veteran politician and a former Union Agriculture Minister, who is also considered well-versed with the issues & solutions relating to Agriculture. He has himself tried hard to bring the same agriculture reforms earlier. Since he speaks with some experience and expertise on the issue, it was dismaying to see his tweets employ a mix of ignorance & misinformation on the agriculture reforms.`

New Delhi: Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar on Sunday (January 31, 2021) said that it is dismaying to see Sharad Pawar's tweets employ a mix of ignorance and misinformation on the agriculture reforms.

Tomar's reply comes a day after former Union Agriculture Minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar said that the new farm laws will adversely affect the Minimum Support Price (MSP) and weaken the Mandi system.

Tomar took to his official Twitter account and said, "Sharad Pawar ji is a veteran politician and a former Union Agriculture Minister, who is also considered well-versed with the issues & solutions relating to Agriculture. He has himself tried hard to bring the same agriculture reforms earlier. Since he speaks with some experience and expertise on the issue, it was dismaying to see his tweets employ a mix of ignorance & misinformation on the agriculture reforms."

He added, "Let me take this opportunity to present some facts," and shared two pictures on the same.

Tomar said that the new laws facilitate promotion of additional choice channel for farmers with a choice to sell their produce to anyone, anywhere with hassle-free movement in and outside the state to realize the competitive and better net price for their produce. 

"This doesn’t affect the current MSP system," he stated.

The Union Minister reiterated that under the new ecosystem, mandis are not affected. "Instead, they will be more competitive and cost effective in terms of services and infrastructure; and both the systems will synergistically co-exist for the common interest of farmers," he said.

Tomar added, "As he is such a veteran leader, I would like to believe that he was genuinely misinformed of the facts. Now that he has the right facts, I hope he will also change his stand & also explain the benefits to our farmers."

Earlier on Saturday, Sharad Pawar had said, "Reform is a continuous process and no one would argue against the reforms in the APMCs or Mandi System, a positive argument on the same does not mean that it is done to weaken or demolish the system."

"During my tenure, the draft APMC Rules - 2007 were framed for the setting up of special markets thereby providing alternate platforms for farmers to market their commodities and utmost care was also taken to strengthen the existing Mandi system," Pawar said through a series of tweets.

He stated that the new agricultural laws restrict the powers of Mandi system and will adversely impact the MSP procurement infrastructure thereby weakening the Mandi system. 

"MSP mechanism has to be ensured and strengthened further," the NCP Supremo said.

"I am also concerned about the amended Essential Commodities Act. According to the act the Govt will intervene for price control only if rates of horticultural produce are increased by 100% and that of non perishable items increase by 50%. Stock piling limits have been removed on food grain, pulses, onion, potato, oilseeds etc," he added.

He also said that it may lead to apprehensions that the corporates may purchase commodities at lower rates and stockpile and sell at higher prices to consumers.