India's government invited protesting farmers for talks on Tuesday, seeking to allay concerns about new laws growers fear could pave the way for the government to stop buying grain at guaranteed prices, leaving them at the mercy of private buyers.
A total of 35 farmer representatives were attending the meeting, he added.
However, the protesting farmers have been anxious that the new laws will eliminate the safety cushion of a Minimum Support Price (MSP) and procurement system, while rendering ineffective the mandi system that ensures earnings for various stakeholders in the farm sector.
After a meeting at the Singhu Border, a farmer leader said they would continue their protest there.
AM: Farmer leaders have been invited for talks today at 3pm.
Singh, who is the minister of state for road transport and highways, also claimed that the farmers did not have a problem with the new laws. "We are keen to resolve all the issues as soon as possible", Mr. Tomar told journalists after the meeting.
Talks between the Centre and farmers demanding a rollback of the three recent farm sector legislations, ended inconclusively on Tuesday.
Farmers hold a meeting at the Delhi Haryana state border on Sunday
Peaceful sit-ins by farmers, mostly from Punjab and Haryana, continued at the Singhu and Tikri borders with no untoward incident reported after Friday's violence, while the numbers of protestors swelled at the Ghazipur border on Monday.
The thousands of farmers will continue camping out on highways in Punjab and Haryana states until three new agriculture laws are withdrawn, Jaskaran Singh, a leader of the Kisan Union, or Farmers' Union, told reporters.
Modi's ministers are scrambling to find ways to assuage the anger of the farmers, who make up an influential voting bloc across India and particularly in states such as Punjab and Haryana. One moment he says Khalistani elements are involved. "Is Amarinder a Khalistani?"
Media reports say Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has urged the Modi-led federal government to defuse the tension at the border.
At the meeting, it was assured that the Centre is always committed to protecting the interest of farmers and is always open for discussions for farmers' welfare, the ministry said. The police is not letting them enter the city, and insisting that they go to Burari, to a designated protest site.
The government during the meeting offered to set up a committee to look into the issues of the protesting farmers.
For instance, on the matter of MSP, the government's primary argument is that the controversial farm ordinances got the President's nod on June 5 this year.
