Andhra Pradesh - Anantapur   

CPI (M) cadre gherao Minister

Staff Reporter

Determined lot: CPI (M), AP Rythu Sangham and TDP activists staging a protest in Anantapur on Tuesday.

ANANTAPUR: Leaders and activists of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and Andhra Pradesh Rythu Sangham gheraoed the Minister for Agriculture, N. Raghuveera Reddy, here on Tuesday evening, demanding supply of groundnut seed to farmers on a war footing and increase in the quantity sufficient at least for five acres.

District secretary of CPI (M), G. Obulakonda Reddy, and district secretary of APRS, P. Peddi Reddy, explained to the Minister that though groundnut was cultivated in about 11 lakh acres last year the farmers had no seed with them as there was poor yield due to scanty rainfall. The extent of coverage could be much higher this year due to early rain, they observed.

However, only about two lakh quintals of seed was supplied in the district three days so far.

The stock was exhausted completely at about 30 sales points (mandals) even before 3 p.m. itself on June 18 leading large-scale agitations by farmers. They requested the Minister to take up supply after keeping sufficient stock at the stock points and also supply the JL-24 and Pollachi varieties on demand.

Supply of seed of alternative crops like sorghum, red gram, horse gram, green gram was also not taken up so far, they pointed out.

They also requested the Minister to relax the stipulation of supplying seed.

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