Coalition govt neglect pushes farmers into crisis

Tadepalli, May 6: Chandrababu Naidu-led coalition government has abandoned farmers amid crop losses from unseasonal rains, said Vaddi Raghuram, YSRCP Farmers’ Wing Working President. “Anti-farmer policies have left paddy, chilli, tobacco, cocoa, mango, and banana cultivators without support prices or aid,” Raghuram said, condemning the government’s indifference.
Unseasonal rains have ruined crops and soaked stored grain, yet the government has neither procured grain nor offered relief. Raghuram criticized Chief Minister Naidu’s unfulfilled promises, including subsidized electricity at Rs. 1.50/unit for aqua farmers, leaving the sector on the brink of collapse. “With just 64,000 connections, the government has failed aqua farmers,” he stated. In contrast, Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s tenure saw Rs. 3,640 crore in aqua subsidies and cleared Rs. 340 crore in dues from Naidu’s 2014-19 term.
Under YS Jagan, RBKs ensured every grain’s purchase, even discolored paddy, with IAS oversight and leaders’ support. Today, ministers ignore farmers, and middlemen exploit them. YSRCP leaders are visiting rain-hit areas, but the government remains unresponsive. “Farmers suffer as grain rots, yet the government does nothing,” Raghuram said.
The YSRCP demands urgent financial aid, aqua subsidies, and procurement for affected crops, alongside field assessments and export restoration. “If the government fails farmers, YSRCP will fight for them,” Raghuram warned.