They say there is no announcement of remunerative prices for crops. They say it is ironic that the limit of Kisan Credit Cards has been extended to ₹5 lakh. “Very few farmers use it,” a farmer remarked.
Said Bharatiya Agro Economic Research Centre Andhra Pradesh convener T. Gopalakrishna on various proposals, “These proposals are good to hear and read. But in reality, they do not reach the ground-level farmer. When the NDA formed the government in 2014, it promised a remunerative price which is 50 per cent more than the production cost. Today, the minimum support price announced by the union
government does not even touch the production cost.”
Gopalakrishna pointed out that for the past five years, governments formed in AP have not used mechanisation subsidies. Now, the present budget focuses on pulses. But the government has failed in providing basic facilities like water and power, he emphasised.
Farmers’ Water Management Association former general secretary Kovvuri Trinadha Reddy expressed dissatisfaction about the budget. He underlined that the union government is increasing MSP by ₹200 or ₹250 every year on agricultural produce. But at the same time, it is increasing the prices of basic inputs like fertilisers and pesticides by six or seven times.
“Who is benefiting from the government’s incentives,” Trinadha Reddy asked.
Farmer V.S. Raju of Rajanagaram mandal said there is no budget allocation for organic farming.
However, MLC Karri Padmasri expressed happiness over the union budget. She maintained that the Dhana-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana will give a boost to districts, which are backward in agriculture. “Introducing technology in agriculture will benefit farmers in the long run, as many of the youth are keen on taking up agriculture activities,” Padmasri underlined.
