Govt not doing enough to remove hurdles in agri exports, says Sharad Pawar

Nationalist Congress Party chief and former Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar has slammed the Narendra Modi government at the Centre for not doing enough to remove hurdles in the export of fruits and vegetables.

He was speaking to the media at an event in Sanpada in Navi Mumbai on Saturday.

The Centre is not paying attention to issues being faced in the export of fruits and vegetables, which was distressing farmers, especially those growing onion, a crop that needs to be exported in order to fetch a good price domestically, Pawar said.

He also flagged the increase in land acquisition for infrastructure projects like highways and expressways, rail routes and airports, all of which he claimed also put load on the agriculture sector.

"The Centre must provide support for the modernisation of agriculture. The production of fruits and vegetables is on the rise but there are hurdles in its export, which the Centre is not paying attention to," he added.