The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : BJP seeks fair deal to farmers

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Wednesday, Dec 19, 2007
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

BJP seeks fair deal to farmers

Staff Reporter

Some 4,680 farmers committed suicide, he says

Photo: G. N. Rao

BJP State president Bandaru Dattatreya interacting with farm workers at Mallepalli in Kusumanchi mandal as part of his party’s ‘rythu porubata’ programme on Tuesday. —

PALAIR (Khammam dist): BJP State President Bandaru Dattatreya said on Tuesday farmers suicides in the State could be stopped only by ensuring a fair deal to community.

Addressing a series of road side meetings in 16 villages of Kusumanchi, Nelakondapalli and Mudigonda mandals as a part of the Rythu Poru bata proramme on Tuesday he said that some 4,680 farmers committed suicide in the State ever since Y. S. Rajasekhar Reddy became the Chief Minister.

He said peasant community was not prepared to accept anything less than Rs 1000 per quintal as the minimum support price for paddy.

Support price

He demanded MSP of Rs 1,200 per ton for sugar cane, Rs 3,000 per quintal for cotton, Rs 900 for maize, Rs 3,000 for turmeric and Rs 2,500 for groundnut.

He said the farmers were finding themselves at the receiving end because of the steep increase in the crop investment thanks to the hike in the cost of inputs.

In Telangana region, the farmers had opted for BT cotton in a big way. They pinned high hopes on the promise of better yields.

But the poor marketing facilities had deprived them of their due.

The greedy middlemen colluded with the elements in the cotton purchase centres had left them in the lurch, he said.

He pointed out that the sops being announced by both the Congress and the Telugu Desam were aimed at appeasing the voters.

They were making the announcements with an eye on the mid-term polls.

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