Minister for Finance and Health T. Harish Rao has stated that costs of farming have gone up considerably with the unabated increase in fuel prices, burdening farmers badly and eating into their income further as the investment for cultivation has doubled instead of income as promised by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Speaking in Banswada constituency in Kamareddy district on Friday, he said tilling an acre of land would cost ₹2,000 till BJP came to power but now it had gone up to ₹5,000 to ₹6,000 as the price of litre diesel had gone up to ₹110 from just ₹60. Similarly, engaging paddy harvester would cost only ₹1,200 per acre in the past, while it had gone up to ₹2,500 now.
Mr. Harish Rao participated in several development programmes in Banswada constituency along with Assembly Speaker Pocharam Srinivas Reddy, who represents the constituency. Among others, he laid foundation stone for Jakora lift which is likely to irrigate about 6,000 acres.
He observed that BJP and Congress leaders were unable to digest the increasing irrigation potential in Telangana. Increase in the paddy production to 2.59 crore tonnes a year from 99 lakh tonnes at the time of State formation was an ample proof of increased irrigation potential.
However, the BJP Government at the Centre was conspiring to harm the interests of Telangana farmers by creating hurdles in paddy procurement by imposing conditions on the type of custom milled rice, Mr. Harish Rao said and alleged that Union Minister for Food and Public Distribution had also insulted Telangana people and Ministers who went to him to represent the problem.
Along with irrigation, several other pro-farmer schemes such as investment support of ₹10,000 per acre given under Rythu Bandhu scheme, round-the-clock free power supply, ₹5 lakh life insurance cover to all farmers aged below 60 years under Rythu Bima scheme, revival of minor irrigation tank system, availability of other inputs such as seed and fertilizer on time had also helped agriculture sector flourish in the State, contributing a whopping 21% to GSDP, he explained.
Accusing the Centre of conspiring to meter the free energy being provided to farmers in Telangana in the name of reforms to benefit a few corporate companies, the Minister said neighbouring Andhra Pradesh was taking up installation of meters to agriculture connections in return of borrowing ₹7,000 crore more. However, Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao had vowed not to allow meters to farm connections.
