Congress, BJP try to woo turmeric farmers

NIZAMABAD: The problems faced by turmeric farmers continues to be a big political issue. While the Congress says it intends to take the protest to Delhi, the BJP says it is trying to resolve the issues, and has blamed the Congress of politicising the issue. After their meeting in Armoor, the Congress leaders have plans to organise a big protest in Delhi over the BJP’s ‘indecisive attitude’ towards turmeric farmers. Meanwhile, BJP leaders are trying to diffuse the situation and are concentrating on increasing turmeric exports, which would help increase the prices of turmeric in the local market.  

Congress party leaders were reportedly disappointed by the continuous setbacks the party experienced, and the one-day Deeksha programme in Armoor helped revive the party’s status. The leaders also observed that farmers were keen to continue the movement.While speaking to mediapersons, senior Congress leader and former Minister P Sudharshan Reddy said the schedule of holding a protest in Delhi would be finalised after zeroing in on a date that was convenient to farmers. He said they would also arrange transport facility for farmers, preferably special trains.  He said even during the Telangana movement, ‘Delhi Yatras’ were conducted in special trains.  

He pointed out that in the global market, turmeric was selling at Rs 12,000 per quintal but in the local market, farmers were getting only Rs 5,000-6,000. To protect the agricultural sector, farmers want to continue their agitation, he said. Meanwhile, Nizamabad MP Arvind Dharmapuri has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the farmers’ issues. The MP said the spice could be exported from Nizamabad to Bangaladesh in special trains, which would increase its price in the local market by Rs 1,000. 

He said the Spices Board had allocated Rs 30 crore for three years to provide assistance to farmers, and the Board’s regional office had provided assistance to 74 farmers. “All these efforts will help give positive results in long run,” the MP said. BJP’s district president Basawapuram Laxminarasaiah and several others leaders criticised Congress leaders over the Armoor meeting. 

‘Encourage entrepreneurs to set up processing units’
Senior Congress leader Sudharshan Reddy added that Nizamabad was purely an agricultural district and there was no industrial activity here. Keeping this in mind, the government should provide Minimum Support Price (MSP) to the turmeric farmers, he said. The State and Central governments should also encourage entrepreneurs to establish turmeric processing units and increase exports