KOTTAYAM: Slamming the State Agriculture Department, Kerala Congress (M) vice chairperson and MP Jose K Mani alleged on Tuesday that the department has shown culpable negligence towards the issues of farmers.
He was speaking after inaugurating the state-level dharnas to be held in front of district Collectorates in protest against the government’s apathy towards farmers’ woes. According to Jose, the disregard of the Agriculture Department towards farmers has drawn flak even from the ruling coalition members. Jose’s statement was hinting at CPM leader M M Mani’s criticism against Agriculture Minister V S Sunil Kumar. Jose said that though Mani had later withdrawn his statement, the issues raised by him are prevailing.
“The Agriculture Department has miserably failed to find solutions for various problems the farmers are facing. The government has also deceived farmers by denying them pensions, while it distributed all other welfare pensions, along with arrears. Though, the government had promised that procurement price of paddy would be increased, it has not been brought to effect so far,” Jose said.
Jose also criticised the government for its failure to ensure sufficient paddy seeds for the farmers, even as the time for Puncha cultivation is about to get over. “The government must take steps to ensure high-yielding seeds at the earliest,” he said. Jose alleged that the government was trying to sabotage the Rubber Production Incentive Scheme, which was launched by the previous UDF government when K M Mani was the Finance Minister, to ensure at least `150 per kg of rubber.