The party leader alleges coalition government has shifted the burden of insurance premiums onto farmers and calls for ₹500 crore allocation to MARKFED for tobacco procurement and price stabilisation.

The YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) on Wednesday demanded the immediate restoration of the free crop insurance scheme, accusing the coalition government of reneging on its pre-election promise and shifting the burden of insurance premiums onto farmers.

Addressing a press conference, YSRCP State general secretary (Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare) M.V.S. Nagi Reddy said the previous YSRCP government had borne the entire crop insurance premium for five years, providing farmers protection against crop losses caused by natural calamities. He alleged that Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu had promised before the elections to continue and strengthen the scheme, but later withdrew it, forcing farmers to pay the premiums themselves.

Mr. Nagi Reddy alleged that the government was using awareness campaigns and citing El Niño conditions to persuade farmers to enrol in the crop insurance scheme by creating unnecessary apprehensions. In Anantapur district, he claimed, farmers were being asked to pay premiums of up to ₹1,140 per acre for certain crops, ₹2,750 for sweet lime, ₹3,000 for banana and ₹1,440 for chilli, increasing their financial burden.

He said the southwest monsoon season was still under way and rainfall was expected during August, September and October, and urged the government to refrain from making statements that could discourage cultivation.

Mr. Nagi Reddy also criticised the government’s handling of the tobacco sector, alleging that inadequate market intervention had resulted in farmers incurring losses of about ₹3,300 crore this year. He demanded that the government allocate at least ₹500 crore to MARKFED for tobacco procurement, clear all pending dues and implement effective price stabilisation measures to ensure remunerative prices for farmers.

Source - https://www.thehindu.com