-Farm production came down by 11%: Narendra
-Input rates up but no remunerative prices for farmers
AMARAVATI: TDP former MLA Dhulipalla Narendra Kumar on Tuesday accused the ruling YSRCP Government of pushing agriculture into a deep crisis with its endless betrayals and anti-farmer policies.
Narendra Kumar deplored that harvests and agriculture production totally reversed in the past three years. The farmers suffered crop losses in 26 lakh acres but the YCP Government compensated just Rs. 1,402 Cr.
Addressing a press conference here, the TDP leader said CM Jagan Mohan Reddy would go down in history as the most heartless Chief Minister who made farmers go through a living hell. Because of the Government’s failures, the AP State stood in top position in suicides of farmers and tenant farmers.
Narendra Kumar deplored that paddy sold at Rs. 1,600 per quintal under the TDP rule but now it has gone down to just Rs. 1,000 under the Jagan Mohan Reddy rule. Over 85 percent of the AP population were dependent on agriculture. The YCP rulers totally neglected farmers, which eventually led to an 11 percent fall in farm production.
The TDP leader said that the Government itself had officially stated over 59 lakh farmers were cultivating different crops. Despite this, only nominal crop insurance payments were being made for them. The vacancies in veterinary hospitals were not filled. The Gopala Mitra system was crushed. Nobody was benefitting from the mobile veterinary assistance system.
Narendra Kumar said high rates of farm inputs under the Jagan ‘Badude Badude’ have broken the backs of farmers. The rate of DAP went up from Rs. 800 to Rs. 1,400 immediately after Jagan became CM. Potash rate went up from Rs. 800 to Rs. 1,100. Urea worth Rs. 180 was being bought at Rs. 350 in black market.
The TDP leader demanded that CM explain why farmers’ farm produce was not getting proper rates though farm input costs had increased drastically. AP came to stand in first place in farmers debt. The State had also come to stand in first place in suicides of tenant farmers. The CM was not fulfilling his promise on Rs 3,000 Cr price stabilisation fund though paddy farmers were selling at a distress price of less than Rs. 1,000.
Narendra said that the Jagan regime refused to pay the bonds released by the TDP rule towards loan waiver scheme. Whereas, the YCP rulers were collecting OTS payments from poor people towards houses constructed during the TDP rule.
