Save farmers from distress

Hyderabad, June 28, 2014:
Demanding the Chandrababu Naidu government to implement its poll promise of
waiving all agriculture loans immediately, YSR Congress has said farmers are in
distress as the sowing operation has to commence and there is no word from the
state on this regard.

“Farmer s are facing
unprecedented uncertainty with rainfall playing truant and banker’s refusing to
sanction fresh loans and no assurance coming from the Andhra Pradesh government
though the sowing operations are due for the kharif,” party spokesperson Ambati
Rambabu told reporters here on Saturday.

Lack of rains and State
government delaying the loan waiver issue on some pretext or the other has put
the farming community in a quandary and we demand that the Chandrababu Naidu
government should immediately address to the needs of the farmers by first
waiving all agricultural loans.

TDP leaders have been
speaking in different voices adding to the woes of the farmers, be it constituting
a committee, fixing a ceiling or searching for other escape routes but majority
of the people in Seemandhra are dependent on agriculture and the government
ignoring their interests will not be tolerated, he said.

Chandrababu Naidu, who once
has declared that agriculture is a waste, has changed tune during elections and
along with the loan waiver promise has said that he wants to make agriculture
more profitable.

“The deeds of TDP
government have been otherwise. The MSP has been increased only by RS 50 which
shows the scant respect Naidu has towards farmers. During his previous term of
nine years he increased the MSP by Rs 170 while YSR in his 5.3 year rule has
increased from Rs 500 to Rs 1,000 and the succeeding Congress government has
hiked it by Rs 300 which shows that who has more concern towards farmers,” he
said.

We demand that the loan
waiver should be carried out immediately to all agriculture loans failing which
the farming community will be at a loss and recalled that farmers had earlier
declared a crop holiday. Incidents of forcible recovery of loans from farmers
are also being reported though Chandarbabu Naidu during his electioneering has
openly appealed to the people not to pay the dues.

“Any government that
deceives the farmers will have to pay a heavy price and TDP should honour its
commitment as the agricultural operations are fast approaching,” he added.