Thummala claims farmers insisting on bonus over Rythu Bandhu

Many farmers were insisting that bonus should be paid than extending Rythu Bandhu assistance, he said.

Mahabubnagar: Making the Congress government’s intentions clear, Agriculture Minister Thummala Nageswara Rao claimed farmers were happy with the bonus being extended to them and insisted that it was better than the Rythu Bandhu assistance.

Each farmer was getting Rs.12,000 to Rs.15,000 per acre through bonus and many had benefited through this initiative. Many farmers were insisting that bonus should be paid than extending Rythu Bandhu assistance, he said.

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Speaking at a farmers programme here on Friday, the Agriculture Minister said the Congress government would implement schemes which farmers demand.

“We will not mislead you (farmers) and make false assurances by saying Rythu Bharosa, bonus and crop insurance will be offered. We will speak the truth and deliver what is committed to you,” Nageswara Rao said.

Later, Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy said Telangana had achieved record-breaking paddy cultivation with 66.77 lakh acres yielding 153 lakh metric tonnes this season. The Congress government would be spending nearly Rs.17, 000 crore for procurement of paddy which includes payment of Rs. 500 per quintal bonus for fine rice varieties, he said.