KCR's big U-TURN

Hyderabad: The state government on Sunday took an U-turn on the issue of regulated farming. Extending support to Modi's concept of 'One Nation One Market' and denial of MSP, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao announced that the purchase centres, which were set up in villages, are closed now.

The reasoning given by the government now is that the government was not a business organisation or a trader. The new farm laws allow farmers to sell their produce anywhere they like and hence there was no need to set up purchase centres in villages.

This year the Telangana government had set up purchase centres in view of the corona pandemic to help the farmers on humanitarian grounds. "From now onwards the farmers can cultivate the crops which have demand at national level to earn profits and sell the same at any market in the country," said the Chief Minister.

The government also scrapped the 'Regulated Farming' policy under which the farmers were allowed to take up the prescribed crop cultivation in the state. It may be mentioned here that when it came up with the concept of regulated crops and setting up permanent market yards, it had said that it was done with a clear idea and clear vision of the future.

The government then claimed that it would bring revolutionary changes in the agriculture sector and was not designed for one season or crop. These measures were to make agriculture profitable business.

But after a long meeting with officials, the government now concluded that farmers should be allowed to sell their produce wherever they get a better price. This decision, which comes after the recent meeting of KCR with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, assumes political significance.

It may be recalled that soon after the farmers in Delhi launched their mega protest and laid siege to the national capital, TRS government gave an official bandh call opposing the farm bills. The TRS MPs had staged a walk out at the time of passing the bills saying that it was anti-farmer. But the latest decision is to notify the three farm acts and adopt them.

The justification being given by officials for this U-turn is that the state had incurred heavy losses due to purchase of various crops by the government. The new farm acts will help the farmers to sell their produce anywhere they like and create a brand image for themselves. The farmer would be free to decide what he or she should cultivate and sell wherever they get remunerative price.