93% ryots facing debts in AP
Govt should offer remunerative price for crops
TDP chief extends National Farmers Day greetings
Lokesh slams CM for breaking ‘Rythu Rajyam’ promise
AMARAVATI: TDP National President and former Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday urged the YSRCP Government to purchase agricultural produce offering remunerative prices to rescue farmers from losses and debts.
Naidu extended his heartfelt greetings on the occasion of the National Farmers Day celebrations all over the country. Once, Andhra Pradesh flourished as the ‘Annapoorna’ (food producer) in the entire country. But now, the farmers in AP were left with no alternative to do street protests for loans, seed, fertiliser and even for payments towards crops sold to the Government.
In a statement on twitter here, the TDP chief asserted that the Nation would be happy and joyful only when the farmers would flourish with good harvests and prices. The agriculture has slipped into crisis in Andhra Pradesh because of lack of any assistance from the Government and absence of support price.
Naidu expressed concern that over 93 percent of farmers in AP were stuck in debts. The present rulers had put the State in first place in the country in farmers’ debt. As a result, AP has come to stand in second place in the country in tenant farmers’ suicides. The State has also come to stand in third place in the country in overall farmers’ suicides.
The TDP chief termed it as deplorable that the YSRCP regime has cancelled the loan waiver scheme that was implemented by the previous TDP rule. Withdrawal of such financial benefits have only added to the pain and suffering of the agricultural growers.
Naidu said the YSRCP Government was insulting the farmers by asking them not to cultivate paddy. The well being of tenant farmers was thrown to the winds. The farm produce should be purchased by offering a support price. The Government should release necessary funds to rescue the growers.
In a separate statement, TDP National General Secretary Nara Lokesh greeted farmers to mark National Farmers Day celebrations. He said that the YSRCP Government had no moral right to talk about the well being of the farmers going by how it had betrayed them in every aspect of agriculture since 2019.
Lokesh said that Jaganmohan Reddy has promised to bring ‘Rythu Rajyam’ (a rule of farmers) but, after winning the elections, he has started turning AP into a ‘State without farmers’. The Government was in such a pitiable condition that it was not able to provide seed and fertiliser. There was no support price for crops. The foodgrain arrears running into hundreds of crores were not being paid to growers.
Nara Lokesh deplored that under the YSRCP rule, the farmers were being deprived of the opportunity to cultivate a crop of their choice. No Government could survive long if it did injustice to the farmers who were the food givers. The YSRCP would pay a heavy price as it has done injustice to farmers in all respects.
