Bangarupalem, July 9: Former Chief Minister and YSRCP President YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has demanded the coalition government to buy the entire mango produce from the farmers at Rs 12 per kg and warned against the repressive measures reiterating that he would be questioning time and again on behalf of the people.
Addressing media at the Market Yard here on Wednesday, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy said that there are over 76,000 farmers who cultivated mango in an extent of over 2.20 lakh acres and the yield was 6.45 lakh tons and they are in distress as they are not getting MSP.
He demand that the government buy the entire produce by paying Rs 12 per kg and come to the rescue of the farmers and recalled that the mango farmers got Rs 29 per kg during YSRCP term and the RBKs had monitored the crop throughout.
In just one year the prices dipped after the coalition government came to office. Normally mango procurement should take place in early May but why it was not taken up this time and the delay has resulted mounting of produce and drastic fall in price which shows the Chandrababu Naidu government’s inefficiency.
The sorry state of affairs is that nowhere in the country farmers were selling their crop in distress at Rs 2 per kg and the other day Karnataka could convince the Centre to buy its mango at RS 16 per kg. When Karnataka could get the assurance from the Centre what is Chandrababu Naidu doing and why could not persuade the Centre and get a better price to the farmers, he questioned.
When YS Jagan comes to express solidarity with the farmers why should there be so many restrictions and what is wrong if farmers come to pour their woes when the situation is so bad with no input subsidy coming and no marketing facilities nor MSP being paid.
Police harassing the farmers, arresting them and detaining over 1,200 farmers speaks of the insensitiveness of the government and YS Jagan will always be there to question the government on farmers issue be it mirchi, tobacco, mango or the unfulfilled election Super Six promises of Chandrababu Naidu. Likening farmers with rowdy elements is uncalled for and majority of the population of Chittoor district are dependent on agriculture.
During our term, RBKs worked with precision and helped out farmers in procuring the right seeds, fertilizers and pesticides and e-cropping was done in a proper manner government used to buy the produce through Markfed when the prices fall, he said.
Under the coalition government farmers are not getting MSP for mirchi, tobacco, mangoes, millets or any crop and farmers are not getting the incentives due to them, he said and warned the government against taking coercive steps against those coming to the rally.
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