Andhra Pradesh - Anantapur   

Farmers seek relief

Staff Reporter

MAKING A POINT: Farmers gheraoing Minister for Agriculture N. Raghuveera Reddy and showing damaged sunflower crop at Kadiri in Anantapur on Friday, as Kadiri MLA J. Ramaiah (left) and Hindupur MP G. Nizamuddin (right) look on.

ANANTAPUR: Minister for Agriculture and Civil Supplies N. Raghuveera Reddy was gheraoed by farmers of Donnikota village at Nallamada mandal and Nagireddypalli at Kadiri rural mandal in Kadiri on Friday, demanding compensation for loss of sunflower crop due to spurious pesticides.

Lead by CPI activists, the farmers explained to the Minister that they had cultivated sunflower crop in 200 acres in the two villages and had sprayed pesticides bought at a shop in Kadiri. But, the crop started withering the very next day.

They had also shown the damaged crop and the packets and bottles of pesticides they had sprayed.

The Minister noticed that the pesticide packets and bottles had no labels of batch number, date of preparation and others.

He said they could be spurious and sought to know from Agriculture Department officials what action they had taken in this regard.

Joint Director Agriculture P. Pothaiah informed the Minister that the pesticides shop was seized on Thursday.

The pesticides appeared to be expired and there was nothing wrong with spraying by mixing them, Mr.Pothaiah said. When the Minister asked local Assistant Director of Agriculture Gunasekhar what he was doing when spurious pesticides were in the market he replied that the shop was seized as farmers had complained. The Minister rapped Mr. Gunasekhar for his irresponsibility.

The farmers complained that Mr. Gunasekhar had told them that the pesticides were good but the crops were damaged as they had sprayed two pesticides by mixing. They demanded compensation for crop loss suffered due to spurious pesticides.

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