New Delhi: On a day when the farmers protest in Delhi entered fifth day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said the new agricultural reforms have given farmers new options and legal protection. Addressing a gathering in Varanasi, PM Modi said that with establishment of a perishable cargo centre in Varanasi, now farmers have got a facility to store and sell their produce easily.
He further that due to this storage capacity, for the first time, the produce of farmers is being exported in large quantities.
“For the first time, produce of Varanasi farmers is being exported to foreign countries at a large scale. Varanasi’s Langda and Dussehri mangoes are spreading their fragrance in London and middle-east. Mango farmers need not go to other cities for packaging now,” PM Modi said.
He said that earlier, loan waiver packages used to be announced but the benefits of such schemes never used to reach the farmers.
Saying that farmers are being empowered by giving them options for a bigger market, PM Modi said reforms are being done in the interest of farmers, which will give them more options. “Shouldn’t a farmer get freedom to sell his produce directly to those who give them better prices and facilities,” he said.
He also added that infrastructure development in Uttar Pradesh has improved since Yogi Adityanath has become the Chief Minister.