Farmers demand loan waiver, factory reopening

District Farmers’ Association president Ramakrishna Bantakallu accused the government of failing to respond to the woes of farmers.

Addressing farmers at a protest rally organised in front of the DC’s Office on Tuesday, Bantakallu urged the government to redress the burning issues faced by the farming community. Bantakallu accused the government of failing to tackle the man-animal conflict happening in villages. The entire harvest was being raided by wild animals.

He blamed that many problems had cropped up because of the government differentiating farmers as urban and rural. The attitude of the government towards farmers had deprived urban farmers of availing the benefits of many schemes. “The special packages are only limited to the rural farmers. This is unfair,” he said. He charged that elected representatives were making many promises of improving the farming activities in the district, but not keeping them.

The government was also not keen on developing farming. He cited the example of the Brahmavar sugar factory. Elected representatives were giving assurances but no action was taken to rejuvenate the defunct factory. He stressed the need for extra measures to revive the sugar factory. “This will help the farmers financially,” he observed.

He urged the government to initiate measures to waive loans availed by farmers from nationalised banks and agriculture credit cooperative societies. The support price of Rs 2,500 should be extended for the whole year and from October for the khariff paddy. The `Yanthradhare Yojane’ should be effectively implemented as there is a shortage of farm machines during sowing and harvesting seasons.

The farmer’s Kumki right should not be denied. The government should take measures to create awareness of the facilities offered by the Agriculture Department. The farmers and farm labourers above the age of 60 years should be entitled to a pension of Rs 5,000 every month, he said.

He also stressed on the reservation in the employment and education for the children of the farmers.