Narendra Singh Tomar said the government will continue with reforms in the farm sector.
Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Wednesday said the government will continue with reforms in the farm sector as they are still due in many areas, even as he reiterated his hope that protesting farmers will soon come forward to resume their dialogue with the Centre to resolve their concerns over three new laws.
The minister said any agitation can be resolved only through dialogue as has been the case always in history and urged the protesting unions to fix a date and time for the next round of talks.
Protesting farmer unions, who have stuck to their demand for a complete repeal of all three agri-laws, have not yet conveyed their decision on the central government's offer for fresh talks. Thousands of farmers have been camping on various borders of the national capital for almost four weeks now.
The government has already sent a draft proposal to unions offering at least seven amendments to the three legislations that were enacted in September.
"I am fully hopeful that our farmer unions will discuss... If they give a date and time, the government is ready for the next round of talks... I am hopeful that we will move towards resolving the issue," Mr Tomar told reporters.
At least five rounds of formal talks with the protesting unions have failed to break the deadlock, but a number of other farm groups have been meeting the government in the meantime to extend their support to the new laws.
While the government has presented the three laws as major reforms, protesting farmers fear they would weaken the mandi and MSP systems and leave them at the mercy of big corporates. However, the government has maintained these apprehensions are misplaced and has accused opposition parties of misleading the farmers.
Mr Tomar said the government is hopeful that unions will soon discuss, decide and communicate their decision, after which the government can hold the next round of discussions immediately.
The government is ready to listen to farmers'' issues with an open heart, he said, while wishing the entire farming community on the occasion of the National Farmers Day, celebrated to mark the birth anniversary of India's fifth Prime Minister Chaudhary Charan Singh.