Prime Minister Manmohan Singh [Images] received a delegation of farmers from Uttar Pradesh, led by aging farmer leader Mahendra Singh Tikait, and promised to look into their problems.

According to a press release, Singh said the welfare of the farmers was topmost on the government's plans. Takait submitted a memorandum, listing out their problems.

 Singh claimed the UPA government had ensured much higher remunerative prices to farmers for their produce and that the government was committed to ensuring livelihood security for the community.He said the previous NDA government resorted to marginal increase in prices.

Singh promised to have the demands of farmers looked into by Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar [Images] and said that his government would launch loan insurance scheme to farmers to mitigate crop failure due to floods.