Vizianagaram: Protect farmers from middlemen, demands TDP

Vizianagaram: The TDP leaders and cadre all over the district staged dharnas in every Assembly constituency and demanded that the government support the farmers and not to push them into problems.

The leaders who participated in the dharna alleged that the government has completely ignored the farmers and they are forced to go into the clutches of middlemen.

Leaders like RVSKK Ranga Rao (Baby Nayana) and T Lakshum Naidu along with TDP activists staged a dharna at Bobbili while B Narasinga Rao, IVP Raju and K Narasinga Rao have participated in dharna at Vizianagaram. K Nagarjuna at Cheepurupalli and K Appala Naidu took part in protest at Gajapathinagaram. Baby Nayana stated that due to the State government's negligent attitude, the suicide cases among farmers were rising in the district. The government has stalled subsidy on seeds, fertilisers and zero interest scheme was also stopped. Paddy, cashew, coconut, sugarcane and mango farmers were facing severe losses as they were not getting minimum support price for their produce in markets and finally they were selling the yield to the middlemen at lesser price.

On the other side, the government is planning to install power meters to measure the quantity of power consumed by the farmers and finally it would be a burden on the farmers.

Subsidy on drip irrigation has been abolished. Soil testing also was stopped. "We used to supply tractors under Rythu Ratham with subsidy but now the scheme was abolished," he pointed out. The TDP activists submitted memoranda to the tahsildars in various mandals.