Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said the neo-liberal policies that have been implemented vigorously by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government at the Centre are affecting farmers the most.
“Lakhs of farmers are committing suicide in the country. Farmers are at loggerheads with the government. However, the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government has been implementing many farmer-friendly projects in the State, even under severe financial crunch. The State has to get ₹790 crore as the Centre’s share for paddy procurement. The objective is to make the State self-sufficient in agriculture,” he said while addressing the media after the morning meeting of Navakerala Sadas in Thrissur on Tuesday.
Minimum support price was declared for 16 vegetables. Paddy is procured at a higher price than the country’s average price. While paddy is procured at ₹20.40 in the rest of the country, Kerala is giving ₹28.20 to farmers. Various projects such as Kerala Gramam, Subhiksha Keralam and crop insurance scheme were implemented. These initiatives have improved production, marketing and farmers’ welfare, he said.
