Sugar farmers badly affected: Jagan

Visakhapatnam,
Oct 18: Moved by the bitter saga of the sugarcane farmers whose crop has taken
a severe beating during the landfall of Hudhud Cylcone and help was not
forthcoming from the State, Leader of Opposition, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has said
that YSR Congress would take up their cause and mount pressure on the TDP
Government to provide the needed relief and will take up the agitation path, if
necessary. 

During
his interaction with farmers in the cyclone ravaged are of Thummapala, near
here, on Saturday, he gave a patient hearing to the famers who have poured
their cup of woes and told him that there was no enumeration done so far and no
officials has visited the area so far.

“It is
very pathetic that not a single official has visited the region where sugarcane
crop has submerged totally and farmers are in distress. No enumeration work was
taken up and no help has come in from the State. The farmers have become
defaulters as Chandrababu Naidu did not honour his loan waiver promise.

The
farmers are now not eligible for crop insurance as well which is rubbing salt
to injury and the plight of the sugarcane farmers has inflated by the
indifference of the State government, which is yet to clear the dues of the
previous year procurement.

Farmers
are very disturbed and are venting their ire at Chief Minister for bringing
things to such a pass, he said adding that YSRCP will take up the issue
seriously and will protest strongly against the State apathy.

The State
has only cleared Rs 3 cores of the Rs 6 crores due to the Thummapala Sugar
Factory and it has been the practice of the TDP to push sugar factories into
the red. The indications are that the employees were not getting salaries for
the past seven months and moves are being made to privatise the unit.

Earlier
there was a conspiracy to privatise this factory but YSR has thwarted all such
efforts.

Chandrababu
Naidu has the history of weakening sugar factories in the cooperative sector
and selling the land and defunct units to his coterie. We will not allow this
injustice to happen and will fight it out with the TDP government, he assured
the farmers.