Telugu Desam Party (TDP) national president N. Chandrababu Naidu has alleged that the State government has failed in ensuring remunerative prices for agricultural produces, at a time when farmers were enduring severe financial problems because of the coronavirus pandemic.
In a statement on Wednesday on the eve of Farmers’ Day being organised in the State, the former Chief Minister said that the farmers had lost crops in more than 37 lakh acres to seven cyclones that hit the State since 2020, incurring a loss of ₹15,000 crore.
“Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy had promised to compensate 58 lakh farmers, but the number was brought down to 26 lakh. The disaster management department estimated the paddy loss to be ₹15,000 per acre but the government gave just ₹4,000,” said Mr. Naidu. He pointed out that Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy had demanded ₹30,000 per acre when he was in the opposition.
“Now, the his (Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy) government has reduced the compensation to ₹5,000 per acre. In 2018, the TDP government provided ₹1,860 crore as crop loss compensation,” he said.
The government owes an explanation as to why just ₹7,500 was paid under the ‘Rythu Bharosa’ scheme, contrary to the pre-poll promise of Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy to pay ₹13,500. “The compensation of ₹7,500 is being paid in three installments. As a result, the farmers lost ₹6,000 per year and over ₹30,000 in five years. The Rythu Bharosa benefits were promised for 15 lakh tenant farmers, but was given to just 41,000,” he alleged.