Amaravathi, July 25: Expressing deep concern over the plight of the farming community in the State, the former chief minister and TDP national president, Mr Nara Chandrababu Naidu, on Tuesday regretted that though the farmers are on the ventilator, there is no response from the Chief Minister, Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy.
Talking to media persons at the TDP headquarters here, Mr Nara Chandrababu Naidu said that the four-year rule of the YSRCP reflects how the farming sector is pushed into serious crisis. Though the Khariff season started long ago, the State is still experiencing drought situation, he felt.
”Till now 27 per cent less rain fall has been recorded in the State. While Nellore district recorded the lowest rain fall of 42 per cent, while in Chittoor 36, Kadapa 48, Kurnool 28 and Ananthapur 26 per cent rain fall has been recorded. East Godavari recorded 42 while West Godavari recorded 40 per cent less rain fall till now,” Mr Chandrababu said with a tone of concern.
Agricultural operations should have been started by now but the prevailing situation is totally different, Mr Chandrababu said. The Chief Minister has till now not conducted any
review meeting on the lack of rain fall and poor farming operations, he said, adding that at least there is no review on asking the farmers to go for alternative crops. Why no plans on agriculture have been formulated, Mr Chandrababu Naidu asked and felt that the entire agriculture sector has been pushed into deep crisis.
Mr Chandrababu Naidu is of the opinion that Mr Jagan has absolutely no understanding on agriculture and no affection towards the farming community. He said that the situation is really alarming as 3,000 farmers had resorted to suicide in the past four years.
Ganja farming is, however, on the rise in the State while other crops are totally damaged, Mr Chandrababu said. Any farmer in any part of the State in the past four years can claim that he is doing better, the TDP supremo asked.
”I strived hard to transform Rayala Seema as horticulture hub and Coastal districts as aqua hub. During the TDP regime steps were initiated to increase the extent of commercial crop farming,” Mr Chandrababu fondly recalled. But in the YSRCP rule only ganja is being cultivated without any hindrance, he stated.
The State is in second position in tenant farmers suicides while in the farmers suicides it stood in the third position in the country which is really an alarming situation, Mr Chandrababu Naidu said. Mr Jagan is a master in submitting wrong statistics, he said and expressed apprehensions what will be the future of the farmers in the State.
Actually Rs 210 cr ex gratia should be paid to the affected farmers as per the correct statistics but Mr Jagan washed off his hands by simply paying Rs 47 cr, he pointed out.
About 93 per cent of the farmers are in neck deep of debts and the State Government has imposed heavy burden on the farming community, he said. The policies being adopted by the ruling dispensation is squarely responsible for this tragic situation, the former chief minister felt.
The less said the better about the chilli farmers as the standing crop got damaged in four lakh acres, Mr Chandrababu Naidu said. Worse than this is that the Chief Minister has shut down the Agriculture Department and there is no such wing now, he added. Groundnut is the major crop in Ananthapur district and surrounding areas and this year the extent of this crop has come down by seven lakh acres, he noted.
Mr Nara Chandrababu Naidu demanded a white paper on the assistance extended to the farmers in the past four years. ”If no assistance is extended and what all we have said are proved to be true then Mr Jagan should immediately step down,” the TDP supremo said.
