Terming the ongoing farmers protest as an “exception” and “limited to one state”, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Wednesday said that the government is in talks with the farmer unions and hopes for an early resolution.

“There is an atmosphere of enthusiasm in the country because of the recent reforms in the farm sector,” he said while referring to the enactment of three new legislations. “The ongoing protest is an exception and the agitation is limited to one state. We are holding discussions and talks. I believe there will be an early solution,” Tomar said while addressing a virtual conference organised by industry body Assocham.

Highlighting the various measures taken by the central government to provide a boost to farmers’ income, the minister noted that while there are protests against the reforms, on the other hand, “there are also lakhs of farmers” who have come out in support of these laws.

“The Central government is fully committed towards the welfare of farmers and the agriculture sector and this is why the new laws have been enacted and the entire agriculture sector would stand to benefit,” he added.

Tomar said the government has taken a slew of initiatives during the pandemic for the growth of the farm sector which includes schemes to strengthen farm-level infrastructure and setting up 10,000 FPOs (Farmer Producer Organisations). He said that the Prime Minister has also approved the third phase of the Pradhan Mantri Sadak Yojana, envisaging an investment of ₹80,000 crore.

These budgetary provisions in agriculture and allied sectors will strengthen the rural economy, make farming activities profitable and grow the agriculture sector’s contribution to India’s GDP, he added.