Chandrababu demands immediate relief to Mandous cyclone-hit farmers

Amaravathi, Dec 15: The former chief minister and TDP national president, Nara Chandrababu Naidu, on Thursday demanded that immediate relief be provided to the Mandous cyclone affected in the State.

Chandrababu Naidu, in a letter addressed to the Chief Secretary, said that the crop in lakhs of acres got damaged leaving the farmers in a deep crisis. The cyclone affected the farmers in at least eight districts Anantapur, Kadapa, Annamayya, Nellore, Ongole, Guntur, Krishna and West Godavari causing heavy loss to them, Chandrababu said in the letter to the Chief Secretary.

The farmers suffered losses to the tune of thousands of crores, he said, adding that the Minimum Support Price (MSP) is also not being paid to the farm products. The State Government has imposed restrictions on the purchase of the farm products which had thrown the agricultural sector into a virtual disaster, Chandrababu said.

Stating that the dues to the farmers for the products sold last year have not been cleared yet, the TDP supremo said that the traders are not paying the MSP claiming that the humidity percentage is more in the grain. The farmers are facing several difficulties drying the products and the State Government announced to purchase only 37 lakh metric tonnes of products this year though the expected yield is more than 90 lakh metric tonnes, Chandrababu said. "This is resulting in heavy losses to the farmers," he added.

Besides the heavy rains, the shortage of gunny bags too is haunting the farmers, he said, and demanded that the necessary number of gunny bags be made available to the farmers immediately. Chandrababu said that the payment be made immediately after the purchase of the farm products and the dues to be cleared soon. 

Tobacco farmers in Prakasam and Nellore districts have suffered huge losses due to heavy rains, he said adding that the natural calamities resulted in losses to the farmers to the tune of Rs 15,000 cr in these three years. "But the State Government never made any efforts to come to their rescue," Chandrababu said in the letter.

Observing that the State stood in the third position in the farmers' suicides and crop holiday is declared for aquaculture farmers. Chandrababu Naidu expressed concern over the negligent attitude adopted by the Government towards the farming sector. 

He demanded that the farm products be purchased immediately and the payment be made to them soon after buying the products. Compensation of Rs 20,000 per acre for paddy and Rs 50,000 per acre for commercial crops be paid and steps be taken to pay compensation directly to tenant farmers. Chandrababu also wanted the products to be purchased without taking humility levels into consideration.