NELLORE: YSR Congress Party district convener and Sarvepalli MLA Kakani Govardhan Reddy alleged that Agriculture Minister Somireddy Chandramohan Reddy had received Rs 50 crore as bribe from the rice millers of Nellore. “Hence, the minister has been trying to procure paddy from the farmers at a low price,” he said. Kakani, along with leaders of farmers’ associations, handed over a representation to Joint Collector A Md Imtiaz Ahmed at his camp office here on Thursday.
Speaking to the media, the Sarvepalli MLA accused Somireddy of trying to make paddy procurement centres in the district just namesake. “The minister has been supporting the millers to purchase paddy at low prices from the farmers,” he alleged. The MLA demanded the government to announce MSP of Rs16,000 per putty of paddy.“Even though the State government has announced Rs 3,500 for one putty of paddy, rice millers and middlemen who formed a syndicate, have been deceiving the farmers by offering less price. Millers are not coming forward to procure paddy at the centres. Meanwhile, the middlemen are exploiting the helpless farmers by purchasing paddy at Rs 11,500 per putty,” Kakani said.
The MLA said that the Telugu Desam government had failed to implement Swaminathan Commission recommendations as promised during its election campaign to better safeguard the interests of farmers. He explained that the cost of cultivation had increased in recent years. “If the government had implemented the Swaminathan Commission recommendations, they have to pay Rs 25,000 for one putty of paddy,” the MLA said.