In an interview where it’s repeatedly made clear he supports the government’s agricultural reforms which he believes are very necessary but is not unsympathetic to the predicament of Punjab and Haryana farmers, India’s foremost expert on agriculture has called on the government to suspend implementation of the three agricultural acts for up to 6 months and immediately announce a diversification and compensation package of up to 10-20,000 crores to secure the income of Punjab and Haryana farmers as they are encouraged to diversify the crops they grow, moving away from wheat and grain to other crops. Prof. Ashok Gulati, presently Infosys Professor for Agriculture at ICRIER and the former Chairman of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices, says increasing the role of the corporate sector in agriculture is essential because the investment the sector needs cannot be provided by government. He also said India cannot sustain grain stocks of 97 million metric tonnes, which is substantially more than double the buffer stock requirement of 41.2 million tonnes. He said the concerns and emotions of Punjabi and Haryanvi farmers, who are far more dependent on MSP and public procurement than other farmers in the country, are understandable and he is sympathetic to them but they cannot be allowed to hold up the reforms required – and, in fact, long discussed – by Indian agriculture.

Like our work? Click here to support The Wire: https://thewire.in/support

The founding premise of The Wire is this: if good journalism is to survive and thrive, it can only do so by being both editorially and financially independent. This means relying principally on contributions from readers and concerned citizens who have no interest other than to sustain a space for quality journalism. As a publication, The Wire will be firmly committed to the public interest and democratic values.
We publish in four different languages!
For English, visit www.thewire.in
for Hindi: http://thewirehindi.com/
for Urdu: http://thewireurdu.com
for Marathi: https://marathi.thewire.in
If you are a young writer or a creator, you can submit articles, essays, photos, poetry – anything that’s straight out of your imagination – to LiveWire, The Wire’s portal for the young, by the young. https://livewire.thewire.in/
You can also follow The Wire’s social media platforms and engage with us.
Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/TheWire/
https://www.facebook.com/TheWireHindi/
https://www.facebook.com/TheWireUrdu/
https://www.facebook.com/TheWireMarathi/
Twitter
https://twitter.com/thewire_in
https://twitter.com/thewirehindi
https://twitter.com/TheWireUrdu
https://twitter.com/TheWireMarathi
https://twitter.com/livewire
Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/thewirein/
https://www.instagram.com/livewirein/
Don’t forget to hit the subscribe button to never miss a video from The Wire!