VIJAYAWADA: Minister for Agriculture Kakani Govardhan Reddy and Andhra Pradesh State Agriculture Mission (APSAM) Vice-Chairman MVS Nagi Reddy lashed out at TDP chief and Leader of Opposition N Chandrababu Naidu for his comments on cyclone loss, which they said were demoralising the affected farmers.
Addressing the media separately, both the leaders opined that Naidu, who heckled farmers and agriculture in the past, has no moral right to speak about them. They asserted that the State government has taken every measure to mitigate cyclone loss and initiate steps to extend all help to the affected farmers.
Addressing mediapersons in Nellore, the Agriculture Minister said, “Our officials are always available to farmers to lend a helping hand. It should be noted that the natural disaster cannot be prevented, but measures can be taken to mitigate loss and extend quick relief to those who suffered because of it. That is what we did, and are doing,” he asserted.
Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has been taking stock of the situation from the time the cyclone was forecast and all the districts were put on high alert. “It is unfortunate that Naidu, who worked as a Chief Minister for 14 years, is acting like an ignorant. Instead of giving moral support to the affected, he is making comments to demoralise the farmers,” Kakani observed.
“The data of e-cropping and crop insurance has been sent to the Centre. We have sent details of 34.70 lakh farmers cultivating 70.80 lakh acres of notified cropping area for Kharif 2023 to the Centre in October itself,” he revealed.
Meanwhile, Nagi Reddy said, “During the tenure of Naidu as the CM, his focus was always on IT. He never bothered about the self-respect of farmers or the situation in rural areas.”