Rosaiah apprised of farmers' woes

Farm matters: Chief Minister K. Rosaiah interacting with TDP president N. Chandrababu Naidu and others at his camp office in Hyderabad on Sunday.
HYDERABAD: Leader of the Opposition N. Chandrababu Naidu on Sunday requested Chief Minister K. Rosaiah to create a market intervention fund with Rs. 1,000 crore to ensure that the farmers get minimum support price for different crops.
An all-party delegation representing 11 parties also met the Chief Minister separately and apprised him of the woes of farming community.
Speaking to mediapersons after meeting the Chief Minister, Mr. Naidu attributed farmers' problems to the inefficiency of the State government. Farmers were not getting MSP for paddy, tobacco, cotton, chilli, pulpwood and Bengal gram. Fruit crops like mango and sweet lime were damaged badly in recent hailstorm and water scarcity.
He alleged that the government had backed out after encouraging the farmers to cultivate NLR variety paddy assuring them of procuring it at Rs. 1,030 per quintal, citing black spots on the grain. The all-party team led by State secretaries of CPI and CPI (M) K. Narayana and B.V. Raghavulu, respectively, said they had suggested a ban on import of some crops to maintain MSP. The Chief Minister had assured them that the group of Ministers would meet in 2-3 days and inform the all-party team about the steps taken.
They would launch an agitation if the government failed to resolve farmers' problems in a month's time and requested the Chief Minister to set up chilli board on the lines of the one for tobacco.
M.Venkateswara Rao (TDP), G.Shouri (BJP), Surender Reddy (TRS), J.Goutham (PRP), K.Srinivasa Rao (Lok Satta), V.Srinivas (Forward Bloc), R.Janakiramulu (RSP), G.Diwakar (CPI-ML New Democracy) and Venkat Reddy (CPI-ML Liberation) were in the all-party team.