TDP national general secretary Nara Lokesh on Saturday said that YSRCP-led Andhra Pradesh government should initiate village-level procurement of crops in order to rescue farmers from losses and debts due to 'very low prices' in the open market.
Lokesh said that the state government has not bothered to open enough purchase centres to buy farmers' crops to ensure remunerative prices for them to overcome losses during COVID-19 crisis. Only 10 per cent of the total harvested crops were bought by the government in Andhra Pradesh so far while Telangana ensured good prices for most of the crops there, reads a statement.
In an open letter to Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, Lokesh said that Telangana government has bought Rs 5,000 crore worth crops already while Andhra Pradesh regime was still claiming to have spent Rs 1,000 crore. But at the ground level, even these comparatively low figures were not matching with the actual purchases made from the farmers in Andhra Pradesh, the statement adds.
He accused the YSR Congress Party leaders of donning the role of middlemen to loot farmers' money by committing irregularities at the purchase centres.
Stating that the Chief Minister totally neglected purchase of crops at a crucial time, Lokesh said that the government's indifference has caused distress sale among farmers.
He asked whether it was not correct that the Chief Minister has betrayed farmers by promising lots of things to them prior to the elections but totally ignoring the same after coming to power, the statement adds.
( With inputs from ANI )