HYDERABAD: The Telangana government’s decision to shut purchasing centres at villages and it acting as per the Centre’s new agricultural laws will have an adverse impact on farmers, feared several ryots organisations. Representatives of the organisations felt that farmers’ suicides may increase in the State if the government directs them to sell their produce as per the new laws. If the State government implements Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s laws, it will lose the confidence of the people, they said and suggested Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao to continue his fight against the anti-farmer laws of t h e M o d i government.
While the representatives and Opposition leaders largely opposed Rao’s statement on purchasing centres, a few welcomed the State government’s decision of cancelling the regulated cropping system. “The Chief Minister had said the State government is neither a business organisation nor a trader to purchase agricultural produce. The government has decided to implem e n t t h e C e n t r a l government’s laws. This will have an adverse impact on farmers,” All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) vice-president Sarampally Malla Reddy told Express. He also found fault with Rao for saying that the government incurred a loss of `7,500 crore due to procurement of crops.
“The government incurred losses due to corruption by officials during the procurement and resale of produce,” Malla Reddy alleged. Recalling that the Karnataka government had announced bonus for paddy farmers, he said Telangana has failed at this. If the Central government’s laws are implemented in the State, farmers’ suicides will increase as the agricultural sector would face crisis, he said. For mer MLA Nandyala Narasimha Reddy suggested that Rao continue his fight against the Centre.
“The Chief Minister had opposed the Centre’s farm laws and the power Bill. He had even supported the Bharat Bandh call given by farmers. He should continue the same spirit and pressure the Centre to roll back the laws,” Narasimha Reddy suggested. He said the Indira Kranthi Patham (IKP) centres in the State have been purchasing 10 crops and if these are shut down, farmers will be left in the lurch.
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The Rythu Swarajya Vedika State secretary B Kondal Reddy wondered how Rao, who had supported the Bharat Bandh, changed his stand in 20 days. “He changed his mind after his recent visit to Delhi. The Chief Minister’s decision will lower the morale of the agitating farmers,” he said. The Central and State governments’ decisions will not only damage the farmers’ prospects but also that of tenant farmers, he said. Meanwhile, several farmers are in a fix as to where to sell their produce in the absence of IKP centres which were started during the YS R a j a s e k h a r a Re d dy government.
“Transporting the produce to market yards costs money. We will not get the minimum support price (MSP) if the Centre’s new laws are implemented. In addition to this, we will further incur financial loss on account of the transportation charges,” one of them said. Suspecting foul play by the Telangana government in procuring and selling agricultural produce, former Minister Shabbir Ali demanded a thorough probe into the process.
The Chief Minister had announced that he would implement the Centre’s farm laws, he said. Additionally, a large number of farmers took out a rally in Khammam under the leadership of Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka. Purchasing the agriculture produce is the primary responsibility of the government, Bhatti said.