Farmers observing crop holiday in Konaseema in East Godavari district and from other parts of the district demonstrated against the report submitted by the former chief secretary, Mr Mohan Kanda, to the Government in front of the District Collector's office here on Monday and also to protest against “the inaction of the State Government”. There is no paddy cultivation in roughly one lakh acres in the area.
Farmers in Konaseema in the Godavari delta, one of the most fertile regions in the State, have abstained from paddy cultivation during the current kharif season, as they are not satisfied with the price being paid for paddy. The State Government had appointed a committee headed by Mr Kanda to submit a report on the issue.
The protesting farmers said on Monday the Kanda report was silent on all crucial issues such as remunerative price for agricultural produce, especially paddy, the bonus and repair of irrigation canals. They found fault with the State Government's response to the problem and the follow-up action after the submission of the report.
The representatives of farmers said in the past Dr M.S. Swaminathan committee and several others had submitted reports on issues such as pricing of agricultural commodities, and the Union Government and the State Government had done precious little. The Kanda committee report, they said, was not at all acceptable to them and the State Government should not initiate action on its basis.
The paddy farmers said the Andhra Pradesh Government was in no position to take any meaningful action on the issue and was merely trying to deceive them. They said they had pleaded with the Government to include agriculture in the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, as the wage rates for the farm labour were high and farmers were not able to cope with it. Such a move would have benefited the farmers as well as labourers, but the Government had paid no heed, they complained. Similarly, while hundreds of crores were required for repairing irrigation canals and drains in the Godavari delta and other parts of the State, the Government was allocating just Rs 20 crore.