Chilli farmers demand compensation of 1L per acre
Prakasam district convener of Samyukt Kisan Morcha Chunduru Rangarao speaking at the protest by farmers at the Collectorate in Ongole on Saturday
Ongole: The leaders from the member organisations of Samyukt Kisan Morcha and All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee on Saturday condemned the police using force to restrict farmers from taking part in Chalo Assembly, a protest scheduled on Thursday to bring losses due to thrips and other factors to the notice of the government.
They took part in a dharna at the Collectorate here.
They also demanded that the government do justice to the farmers who lost the crop due to the pests and save them from taking extreme decisions.
Speaking at the programme, district convener of SKM, Chunduri Rangarao, AP Raitu Sangham leaders Pentyala Hanumantha Rao, Vadde Hanumareddy, Akhila Bharata Raitu Coolie Sangham leader K Nancharlu, Kisan Congress AP vice president V Rajagopala Reddy, Acharya Ranga Kisan Samstha general secretary Chunchu Seshaiah and others explained the pathetic condition of the farmers.
They observed that many of the farmers were taking extreme steps to end their lives, as the State and Central governments were not supporting them in time when they suffer losses. They said that due to the recent invasion of the western flower thrips, the production is very much reduced in many places, while the farmers have to pluck out the crop completely in a number of areas.
However, the governments failed to announce the pest attack as a national calamity, and provide the compensation immediately as they promised.
Apart from the negligence by the governments, the opposition party in the State also failed to support the grieving farmers and demand justice for them, they alleged. To bring the attention of the government to the severity of the issue and to explain how the thrips damaged their lives, they said that the farmers' organisations planned a Chalo Assembly on March 10, but the government which should lend an ear to the issues foiled it by using police force.
The farmer leaders condemned the dictatorial attitude of the government and demanded compensation of Rs 1 lakh per acre to the chilli farmers immediately.