Fasal Bima Yojana a farce, allege groundnut farmers

Anantapur: Groundnut farmers in the district are feeling slighted and deliberately ignored by Prime Minister Narendra Modi following the removal of groundnut out of the gamut of crops that are eligible and covered under the Prime Minister Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY). Around seven lakh farmers in the district are involved in groundnut cultivation in 10 lakh acres of land with an investment worth Rs 1,000 .

Highlights:

• Groundnut farmers furious over removal of the crop from Fasal Bima Yojana
• Farmers seeking the intervention of the Chief Minister for inclusion in PMFBY

The farmers in Anantapur district in particular and those in Rayalaseema in general, are questioning the rationale behind the decision of the central government in taking groundnut out of the purview of crop insurance which was launched with lot of fanfare in 2016.

Farmers are furious that groundnut crop has been ignored despite the government being aware about the history of droughts in the district and its disadvantageous position when compared to other parts of the state and the country as a whole.The centre had launched the scheme calling it a pan India insurance scheme offering new hope to the farmers.

But, for reasons best known to the government, only crops like paddy, maize, sunflower, pulses and other crops etc., have been covered under the scheme. Farmers here feel that the insurance is beneficial to only prosperous farmers in coastal districts who grow paddy on a massive scale, but not poverty-stricken Anantapur. Narasimha Reddy of Narpala mandal speaking to The Hans India expressed his disappointment at the government's irrational decision.

The PM's insurance scheme would have come to the rescue of the groundnut farmers in 2016 when total failure of monsoon resulted in withering of 6-7 lakh acres of groundnut crop. Despite making several representations to the government and an assurance of taking up the issue with the centre by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, nothing materialised.

Several BJP state leaders also admitted that removing groundnut crop out of the insurance ambit was a mistake. They made promises to take up the issue with the centre. The recent BJP state executive council meeting held in the city also passed a resolution urging the central leadership to reconsider the issue, but nothing concrete emerged out of it.

Balusu Prakash Naidu, a farmer of Raptadu mandal growing groundnut in 10 acres of land questioned the logic behind the decision saying it was a big blow on the beleaguered groundnut farmers. The PMFBY could do miracles for groundnut farmers feels the farmers. Bala Sundaram, a small farmer having land-holding of just 2 acres says that injustice was meted out to the district farmers. The government decision is deliberate as they feared huge financial stakes if made applicable to the crop.

According to Prabhakar, a farmer of Garladinne mandal the insurance scheme covers fire mishaps, destruction caused by thunder and lightning, hail storms, cyclonic rains damage, inundation caused by rains, climate change, pest problems and many other things components. The insurance also ensures 25 percent compensation to farmers who had made all arrangements and investments for sowing but could not do it due to unfavourable climatic conditions.

Some farmers also complained that insurance compensation has not been released to the crops covered under the scheme and that the scheme itself is a non-starter. The farmers are urging the Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu to take up the issue immediately so that it could be made applicable at least in the current crop season.