The YSRC has requested the Central government to reject the Shanta Kumar Committee report on the restructuring of the Food Corporation of India (FCI), as its recommendations were against the interests of the farming community in agrarian States like Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Chhattisgarh.
Party president Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy expressed concern over the recommendation that the Union government give the task of procuring food grain from farmers to the respective State governments instead of the FCI. “How can the Union government trust the State governments to perform the duties of the FCI, which had been procuring up to 75 per cent of the produce for the past 10 years?” he said. In a letter addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mr. Jagan said the State governments had neither the financial resources nor the wherewithal to take over FCI operations. This was evident from the fact that the AP and Telangana governments did not make any allocation for market operations during the current financial year, he added.
The YSRC also expressed concern over the recommendation that the government offer a fertiliser subsidy of Rs. 7,000 a hectare. “This will adversely affect States like Andhra Pradesh, which are the largest consumers of NPK. Restricting fertiliser subsidy to Rs. 7,000 a hectare will not meet the requirement of even one crop, and farmers will be forced to buy fertilisers at market prices for subsequent crops. This will entail a huge financial burden on them. The government should, therefore, reject the recommendations of the Shanta Kumar Committee and take steps to fix the Minimum Support Price for all crops in line with the recommendations of the M.S. Swaminathan Committee.
Meanwhile, senior YSRC leader Botcha Satyanarayana demanded that the State government announce a bonus of Rs. 200 a quintal for paddy to instil confidence among farmers who were facing crisis. “The government should initiate steps for the direct procurement of produce from farmers and keep a check on the prices of essential commodities,” he said.
He alleged that the government had neglected the farm sector, as a result of which farmers were forced to bear the brunt on account of mounting debts, rise in prices of fertilisers and other factors. The YSRC will stage dharnas in front of all Tehsildar offices on Nov. 2 protesting against the government’s failure to come to the rescue of farmers.
