Agriculture is a matter of states concern: VV Lakshmi Narayana

Ongole: As the police is governed by the state, the agriculture is also a matter of states’s concern, said the retired additional director general of police VV Lakshmi Narayana and he demanded the government to provide remunerative prices to the farmers. 

He participated as the chief guest in the National Farmers Day celebrations by the Prakasam District Development Forum and other farmers’ associations and the felicitation of Ravula Venkaiah, vice president of the All India Kisan Sabha held in Ongole on Sunday.

The Prakasam District Development Forum president Chunduri Rangarao, Andhra Pradesh Raitanga Samakhya president Yerneni Nagendranath, AP Forest Development Corporation chairman Dr Divi Sivaram, Prajanatyamandali honorary president Nalluri Venkateswarlu, AP Raitu Sangham president KVV Prasad, Vadde Hanuma Reddy, AP Raitu Sangham Prakasam district secretary Vadde Hanuma Reddy, senior journalistChevula Krishnanjaneyulu and others also participated in the National Farmers Day celebrations, marking the 116th birth anniversary of former prime minister and farmers leader Chaudhary Charan Singh.

Lakshmi Narayana said that the public in the state should understand the situation of farmers in the country. He said the number of tenant farmers is grown more than the number of land owned farmers, about 86 lakhs of farmers left agriculture in the decade 2001-2011 and the youth is not interested to continue the agriculture as a profession. 

He explained that the farmers are earning meager Rs 6423 per month, while the 7th pay commission advised to pay a minimum of Rs 18000 per month to a worker to lead a respectable life in the country.

He explained that according to the constitution, agriculture is a state concern, but not the responsibility of the center. 

He reminded that the AP agriculture minister flayed the decision of the central government offering Rs 1750 as minimum support price for paddy and demanded Rs 2750 instead and questioned him to let the public know what’s stopping him to implement that MSP for paddy, Rs 2750 in the state. He said that the farmers do not need a loan waiver, but complete relief from the loan. 

He said that the loan waiver schemes by the governments are helping the landlords, but the tenant farmers and farm workers, who take loans at private persons are continue to suffer a lot. 

He also demanded the state government to offer remunerative price to the farmers by establishing a fund and a committee to fix the MSP based on local conditions. 

He extended his support to the Farmers’ Freedom from Indebtedness Bill 2018 and The Farmers’ Right to Guaranteed Remunerative Minimum Support Price for Agricultural Commodities Bill 2018 prepared by the All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee and introduced in the parliament by the Maharashtra MP Raju Shetti.

He said that he observed that the people in villages are split according to the parties and castes, but the farmers who feed people are suffering to make a living. 

He proposed to prepare the agriculture manifesto for every district according to its local conditions and implement a planned agriculture model to save farmers. 

He said that he is planning to bring the youth back into agriculture and make utilize the 30 percent of production waste to generate revenue and let the farmers provide jobs to others.

Earlier the speakers like Chunduri Rangarao, Yerneni Nagendranath, Divi Sivaram, Bodduluri Anjaneyulu explained the pathetic condition of the farmers. 

Later, the guests felicitated Ravula Venkaiah, the vice president of the All India Kisan Sabha and native of Prakasam district for being recognized as Best National Farmers’ Leader by the Kisan Foundation in Guwahati, recently.