Farmers complain to CM against MNCs

By Our Staff Reporter

ELURU, JAN. 4. Upland farmers of West Godavari urged the Chief Minister to protect them from the multinational seed purchasing companies which were exploiting them.

Spokesmen representing farmers of nearly 20 mandals, who cultivate maize seed, complained to the Chief Minister, Mr. N. Chandrababu Naidu, at a grama sabha held in Kavvagunta village in Pedavegi mandal that multinational companies were purchasing seed from them, but were not paying them the correct price.

The Chief Minister, eliciting details about the extend of land in which farmers were cultivating seed, urged the farmers to discuss the issue with the Collector and the three Ministers of the district and then come to Hyderabad in a delegation to meet him.

Not satisfied with the Chief Minister's suggestion, the farmers insisted that they meet him immediately. Farmers told him that they had been fighting with the companies for the last three years.

They had made several representations to the then Agriculture Minister, Mr. Kotagiri Vidyadhara Rao, to no avail. Even the district Collector could not do anything to these companies, the farmers lamented.

Understanding the anxiety of the farmers, Mr. Naidu told the farmers that he would be out of the State capital till January 16 and he would meet the delegation after that date.

Farmers demanded that the State Government collect a deposit from the seed purchasing companies to create a corpus fund to ensure payment to them.

The Chief Minister said competition was growing in the agricultural sector and the prices depended on the production in other states.

Andhra Pradesh had exported 22 lakh tonnes of foodgrain to Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala and another 9 lakh tonnes to other countries last year. This year the crop was good in other states and the prices here plummeted. The State Government fought with the Centre to increase foodgrain procurement.

The FCI had been made to buy 20 lakh tonnes of foodgrain till now this year, it bought only 12 lakh tonnes in the corresponding time last year.

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Section  : Southern States
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