Ongole: Agriculture Minister Kurasala Kannababu says Farmers welfare top priority of government

Ongole: The MARKFED purchasing tobacco is a historical incident, said Agriculture Minister Kurasala Kannababu.

He inaugurated the MARKFED purchase centre for tobacco at the Ongole-2 auction centre on Thursday and said. The government wanted the farmers gain profits. Kannababu, along with his cabinet colleagues Balineni Srinivasa Reddy, Dr Audimulapu Suresh, and Ongole MP Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy inspected the auction prices and interacted with the farmers.

Speaking to the farmers, Kannababu said that the government came forward to save the farmers who are in the troubles. He said that the former chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy took a step ahead for the welfare farmers, but his son the chief minister is taking ten steps for the same. He said that when the tobacco farmers complained to the chief minister about the low prices, he conducted an emergency board meeting and announced the purchase of bales through the MARKFED, by issuing a trader license to it in all auction centres.

He said that the farmers are falling into debts by cultivating crops that are not paying them. He said that the government has taken a decision to reduce the tobacco crop by 20 percent every year, as the farmers are going into losses. He said that the chief minister will be remembered as a green revolutionary icon in history. He said that as the MARKFED is ready to buy tobacco in auctions the buyers increased prices for 15 percent and the F1 grade tobacco received Rs 207 now.

Minister Balineni Srinivasa Reddy announced that the MARKFED will enter into the auction to purchase tobacco every year from now. He said that the government has taken a revolutionary decision to support the tobacco farmers but advised the farmers to reduce the crop as they are not getting a better price.

Minister Audimulapu Suresh said the chief minister has kept his promise made in his padayatra to the tobacco farmers. He said the farmers are not receiving a good price for the tobacco as 84 percent of the tobacco crop produced goes into six companies. It will change from now on as the government agency also starts purchasing the tobacco, he added.

The Tobacco Board chairman Yadlapati Raghunatha Babu, Santhanuthalapadu MLA TJR Sudhakar Babu, MARKFED MD Pradyumna, general secretary Madhusudana Reddy, JC J Venkata Murali, tobacco board RM Raju Prakash and others also participated in the program.