Farmers demand for adoption of Telangana model for sustainable agriculture

Hyderabad: Farmers led by the Consortium of Indian Farmers Associations (CIFA) on Tuesday demanded the Centre to implement farmer-friendly initiatives to ensure remunerative returns to farmers. They said though parties like TRS were focusing on farming to increase production, the high-cost inputs and labour due to the lack of Central policy, was making agriculture non-remunerative. […]

Hyderabad: Farmers led by the Consortium of Indian Farmers Associations (CIFA) on Tuesday demanded the Centre to implement farmer-friendly initiatives to ensure remunerative returns to farmers. They said though parties like TRS were focusing on farming to increase production, the high-cost inputs and labour due to the lack of Central policy, was making agriculture non-remunerative.

CIFA organised a seminar to prepare an ‘Agriculture-centric agenda for adoption by the non-BJP national alliance’ at Film Nagar Recreation Centre here on Tuesday. The seminar was part of a series of discussions to be held across India involving non-BJP especially the regional political parties, experts and civic organisations, to revise policies and promote sustainable agriculture at national level and become globally competitive.

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Addressing the meeting, Janata Dal (United) chief general secretary and former MP KC Tyagi emphasised the need for farmer-centric programmes to achieve sustainable agriculture and make agriculture remunerative for farmers. He said the Centre had failed to address the farmers issues and it was important to ensure that all political parties make their stand clear in their election manifestoes on these issues.

Speakers at the meeting lauded Telangana’s unique agriculture development model initiated by Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao that has led to huge production and increased land value making every farmer a millionaire. However, they pointed out that the achievements of Telangana farmers were hampered due to constraints in marketing and exports due to restrictions by the Central government. They demanded that to avoid such situation, the State governments should be empowered for overall development of agriculture especially exports. They strongly felt that Telangana model can be enlarged for adoption.

Meanwhile, the meeting observed that regional parties like TRS, DMK. YSRC and Janata Dal (U) among others have focused on farming and enabled increased production, but the expensive inputs and labour made it unremunerative. Further, the meeting resolved to get political endorsement for upgrading the status of the union Agriculture Minister to the Deputy Prime Minister and also introduce a separate budget.

Other issues on the agenda include reduce production cost; remove GST on fertilisers, pesticides, tractors/farm machinery and drip irrigation system; link MGNREGS with agriculture; empower States to enter into long-term agreements for exports, investments, processing and technologies; and also democratise farm institutions like market yards and commodity boards.