Centre uttering 'blatant' lies to confuse farmers: Singireddy Niranjan Reddy

Hyderabad: Agriculture Minister Singireddy Niranjan Reddy on Thursday charged the Centre with speaking 'blatant lies' to confuse farmers and 'playing a double game' on paddy procurement.

In an open letter to farmers, he said "providing the minimum support price and procuring crop yields is the responsibility of the Centre. It has been going on for decades." The Santhakumar Committee appointed by the Centre under Prime Minister Narendra Modi has recommended exporting paddy and procuring crop yields. But the Centre has not taken any decision on the same, Reddy added.

"Each of the Union ministers was making different statements in Parliament and the BJP leaders in the State are making statements quite opposite to what the Union ministers said.

They are trying to confuse farmers speaking blatant lies and the Centre is playing a double game on procurement of paddy," he rued.

However, the State government sensed the anti-farmer and anti-agriculture policies of the Centre. Thus, farmers in Telangana should cultivate alternative crops to avoid incurring losses, he said. Of late, the government has been making efforts to create awareness among farmers to cultivate alternative crops so that they would not incur losses.

Reddy criticised the Centre for not extending cooperation it has been giving to corporates. He asked farmers of the State to take note of the policies of double standards of the Centre.

He said that the government was aiming for cultivation of alternative crops in the Rabi.

The minister recalled that the separate Telangana movement was meant to get the State's due share of its waters.

Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao had decided to strengthen agriculture in the State, "neglected for six decades under the united AP." Pending projects have been completed on a war-footing within three years, besides, the construction of the world-renowned Kaleswaram lift irrigation scheme within three and half years, he said.

"Telangana farmers who have lost confidence in the united AP were provided with water, free power, 'Rythu Bandhu', 'Rythu Bhima', besides, seeds and fertilizers to instil confidence in them. The State which was once riddled with farmer suicides has become a food bowl". The minister said the State had 1.31 crore acres of cultivable land in 2014; it has gone up to 2.15 crore by 2021, bringing about 80 lakh acres of newly cultivable land.

Similarly, the State was producing 68.17 LMT of paddy in 2014-15; it has gone up to three crore MT, he said.

"The Centre has for decades provided higher MPS and encouraged cultivation of coarse rice and procured boiled rice. But all of a sudden it has refused to procure boiled rice citing piling up of stocks."