Amaravati, July 22 — Former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and YSR Congress Party president YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Wednesday alleged that the coalition government has failed to procure even 10 per cent of the total tobacco output, leaving enough scope for the middlemen and syndicates to exploit the farmers
He assured the tobacco farmers that the party will stand by them and fight for their cause at all times. Jagan also announced that he will tour West Godavari and other places very soon to support tobacco farmers.
Addressing the tobacco farmers who called on him and poured their woes out, he said the YSRCP will mount pressure on the government by touring Gopalapuram or Jangareddygudem to ensure that farmers get their due.
The former Chief Minister stated that if the government fails to heed the demands, he will take up another tour to Kandakuru and the protests will continue till the government yields to the farmers’ demands.
He noted that of the total yield of 232 million kgs of tobacco, only 38 million kgs are purchased even 94 days after the auctions began, and the prices have plummeted to as low as Rs 130 even after Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu stated the price should not fall below Rs 200. All this is happening due to the syndicate and middlemen and the government not procuring the produce, he said.
The YSRCP chief stated that not a single case has been registered against any of the traders, nor a single license was cancelled, and farmers are pushed to the wall and are forced to go for distress sale.
He said the government should press Markfed into action to create competition and raise the hopes of farmers. The YSRCP government had brought this practice, which proved to be very successful.
“Our government had created a Market Intervention Fund of Rs 3,000 crore to tide over any such crisis and fluctuation of prices and had spent Rs 7,800 crore towards crop procurement during our term,” he said.
YS Jagan also claimed that RBKs served as the fulcrum for agriculture needs and the CMAPP (Continuous Monitoring of Agriculture Prices and Procurement). Consumer Price Application was monitoring the price fluctuations and addressing the issues then and there to ensure farmers get remunerative prices.
The prosperity of the State depends on the prosperity of the farmer and will not allow the government to fail the farmers. We will fight it out till justice is done to the farmers, he said.
Earlier, farmers expressed their anguish over the government apathy and the stocks not being sold even as July month is coming to a close, which would endanger the produce and traders would be shifting to Karnataka, leaving them in the lurch.