KCR Providing Backdoor Entry To Corporate Farming: Congress

Former minister and ex-Leader Of Opposition in the Telangana Legislative Council Mohammed Ali Shabbir accused Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao of hatching a conspiracy to take away the farmers' lands to facilitate corporate farming in the state.

He was speaking to the media after distributing essential commodities to nurses in the ANM VRA Government Hospital in the Rajampet mandal Headquarters in Kamareddy district on Thursday.

Shabbir Ali said that the Chief Minister had given a veiled threat to the farmers that they would be deprived of the investment support of Rs 5,000 per acre per season under Rythu Bandhu if they refuse to grow the crops being suggested by the state government.

He said that KCR was indirectly promoting corporate farming, a proposal which was rejected by the previous Congress government to protect the interests of the farmers.

He said that the farmers would had more knowledge and experience than politicians like KCR in deciding what needed to be cultivated in a given season. There might be abundant crops and there could be small yields depending upon the rainfall, the humidity, the temperature, the quality of the seeds and the fertilizers used, and also the methodologies being adopted by farmers.

These things could not be controlled although the authorities could support the farmers in all their endeavours.

However, KCR wanted to take complete control over the farmers' lands by just paying them Rs. 5,000 per acre per season, Shabbbir Ali alleged.

"The profits from a crop depend purely on the quality of produce and its demand in the market. Since the government will control what should be grown and in what quantity, this will completely ruin the market conditions and lead to a monopoly. Consequently, the farmers will not get good returns for their hard work," he said.

Shabbir Ali said that before advising the farmers on what crops they should grow, the Chief Minister must fulfil all his pending promises to them.

"The state government should first waive off crop loans up to Rs 1 lakh for all the farmers in a single step. Since it was a major poll promise, the TRS government should also give an undertaking to the banks that interest on crop loans with effect from November 11, 2018, will be paid by the government. Further, the government should release a White Paper giving details on the losses suffered by Telangana's farmers due to natural calamities like drought and unseasonal rains since June 2014. A Status Note on farmers' suicides since the statehood for Telangana should also be released, along with the details of how many of the affected families have actually been provided support under the amended GO 421," he demanded.

The leader pointed out that KCR had promised to turn agriculture into a profitable business to the extent that farmers could earn Rs 1 crore per acre. He said that instead of taking away the farmers' lands to benefit a few corporate companies, KCR should ensure that at least one lakh out of the 55 lakh farmers in Telangana earn at least Rs 50 lakh, if not Rs 1 crore, per acre in every season.