When the farming community in the State is deep distress following damage to paddy, cotton and other commercial crops due to the cyclone, Minister, Kakani Govardhan Reddy, is deliberately levelling baseless charges against the TDP only to divert the public attention from the major issue, said TDP politburo member, Somireddy Chandramohan Reddy on Monday.
Chandramohan Reddy told media persons that the farming community in the State suffered huge loss due to the Mondos cyclone, Minister for Agriculture, Govardhan Reddy, who does not have basic knowledge on farming is buying time by simply giving false statements. Chief Minister, Jagan Mohan Reddy, and Minister, Govardhan Reddy, are a bane for the State, he remarked.
“Is the Minister not aware that 161 mandals in the State are declared drought-affected in 2020 of which 73 mandals face a deep crisis,” Chandramohan Reddy asked. The Minister should tell the people how the farmers progressed for the past three years, he said.
Mentioning that the tomato farmers came onto the roads as the kg is not sold even for a rupee, the TDP leader said that the aqua farmers have been suffering a lot for the past three-and-half years. Other crops too got damaged by the cyclone, throwing the farmers into a deep crisis, Somireddy said and demanded that the State come to the rescue of those farmers and pay ex gratia to them after assessing the damage.
The State is in the third position in farmers suicides, he said and asked if the condition of the farming community is so comfortable how the State will record third position in suicides, Somireddy asked. After the YSRCP came to power the average debt on cotton farmers reached Rs 2.5 lakh while the average debt on cotton farmers in the country is a mere Rs 75,000, he said.
Is the government aware of how the paddy cultivators are suffering losses both in Kharif and Rabi, Somireddy asked and said that the ruling party is simply ignoring the farming community. The Jagan Government which claims to be paying Rs 7,000 for each farmer is not paying the dues to the farmers after purchasing the farm products, he said.
