GUNTUR/ONGOLE: Following the foot steps of farmers of twin Godavari and Kadapa districts, ryots of Guntur district have started declaring crop holiday in many mandals, resenting the government's negligent attitude towards the farm community. Farmers of Prakasham district have also decided to follow the suit.The farm communities of Karamchedu, Kunkalamarru and Swarna villages of Karamchedu mandal; Komaranenivaripalem, Potugatla and Nagulapalem villages of Parchur mandal have decided not to irrigate their fields this khariff season. The areas are irrigated under 13 lift irrigation schemes of Kommuru canal, which provides water to about 90,000 acres in the area.With the decision of the farmers, 5000 acres in Karamchedu, 4000 acres in Kunkalamarru and 7000 acres in Swarna would be left fallow this khariff season in Karamchedu mandal, where about 6.2 lakh bags (75 kg per bag) of paddy were still lying unsold with the farmers.Similarly, no cropping activities would be taken up in 700 acres in Komaranenivaripalem , 800 acres in Potugatla, 680 acres in Nagulapalem of Parchur mandal and 2000 acres of Dhullipalla village of Sattenapalli mandal in the district.It may be noted that farmers recently staged protest and burnt the paddy in Karamchedu, demanding MSP for paddy.It is learnt that the farmers of Thimmasamudram village of Naguluppalapadu mandal in Prakasham district were also planning to announce a crop holiday. Potina Srinivasa Rao, a farmer of Karamchedu village in Prakasam district said he would not go for cultivation this kharif as about 180 bags of paddy was lying unsold with him. Meanwhile, agriculture and revenue officials visited the villages and appealed the farmers to take up cultivation.Farmers said apart from no MSP for their produce, there were many other areas in which the government reneged on its promise.Raparla Lakshminarayana, a farmer of Dhulipalla village , said despite the government's promise of free power supply for 7 hours a day to the farm sector, they were getting hardly power supply for irrigation. The entire farmer community is facing burden as the Central government recently increased the prices of crop inputs including fertilizers, pesticides and seeds.The farmers also demanded the government issue bonds in favour of farmers with MSP. Jagarlamudi Venkateshwarulu, another farmer said tenant farmers, who has to pay a lease amount `20,000 per acre to the land owners and invest `20,000 per acre for paddy, gets hardly any profit at the end of the season.
Comments
0 comment