The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : APRS launches indefinite fast

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Thursday, Nov 01, 2007
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

APRS launches indefinite fast

Staff Reporter

GUDIVADA: Yerneni Nagendranath, former State Drainage Board member and president of Andhra Pradesh Rythanga Samakhya (APRS), launched indefinite fast here on Wednesday demanding increase of minimum support price (MSP) for paddy to Rs. 1,000 a quintal on a par with wheat.

Mr. Nagendranath said MSP for rice and wheat were the same a few years ago.

But now there was a difference of Rs. 230 between the two, he added.

He demanded the government to direct the Food Corporation of India (FCI) to purchase paddy instead of rice in Andhra Pradesh.

‘Lift the ban’

He also demanded that the Central Government lift the ban on all varieties of rice. The ban had been lifted only in the case of the very expensive Basmati and other such varieties of rice, he pointed out. Talking to The Hindu, the Rythanga Samakhya leader said he was shocked at the remarks made by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to elected representatives and leaders of farmers associations.

If this was the attitude of the Prime Minister, the farmers would be in real trouble, he said.

Mr. Nagendranath said that the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) had already predicted that there would be a severe shortage of food grains in the world in the next few years.

Remunerative Prices

Farmers would not cultivate food grains if they did not get remunerative prices and would move to other crops. The average expenditure for cultivation of paddy was Rs. 10,600 an acre.

Out of every four crops cultivated, the farmer was able to harvest only three.

At an average yield of 24 bags per acre, the farmer earned just Rs. 12,500 an acre and was left with Rs. 1,900 an acre.

The logic being used for rice also applied for wheat and the wheat consumer would be affected in the same way as the rice consumer, he said.

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