Hyderabad: Telugu Desam Party (TDP) supremo and former Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday urged the YSR Congress Party 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, fertilizer, and even for payments towards crops sold to the government,” he remarked.
In a series of tweets, the TDP chief asserted that the nation would be happy and joyful only when the farmers flourish with good harvests and prices. “Agriculture has slipped into a crisis in Andhra Pradesh because of lack of any assistance from the government and absence of support price,” he said.
Naidu expressed claimed that over 93 percent of farmers in AP are stuck in debt. “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,” he said.
The TDP chief termed it ‘deplorable’ that the YSRCP government has cancelled the loan waiver scheme that was implemented by the previous TDP rule. “Withdrawal of such financial benefits has only added to the pain and suffering of the agricultural growers,” he added.
Naidu said the YSRCP government was insulting the farmers by asking them not to cultivate paddy. “The well-being of tenant farmers is thrown to the winds. The farm produce should be purchased by offering a support price. The Government should release the necessary funds to rescue the growers,” he said.