Tadepalli (Andhra Pradesh) [India], September 7 : YSRCP leaders on Monday accused the TDP-led coalition government of pushing Andhra Pradesh’s aqua sector into a severe crisis by failing to control feed prices, power charges and the supply of quality seed.
They warned of legal action and statewide protests if the government failed to immediately protect aqua farmers.
Addressing the media at the YSRCP central office, West Godavari district president and former MLA Mudunuri Prasada Raju said feed prices had increased four times since the coalition came to power. He said the price of feed had risen from around Rs 80,000 per tonne during the elections to Rs 1.20 lakh now. Farmers were also burdened with power factor and overload charges despite the government’s claims of subsidised electricity.
Prasada Raju alleged that poor monitoring of seed quarantine centres had allowed substandard seed into the market, resulting in diseases and heavy losses. He said the YS Jagan Mohan Reddy government had provided power at Rs 1.50 per unit, introduced the Andhra Pradesh State Aquaculture Development Authority (APSADA) Act, appointed aqua assistants, established integrated laboratories and set up an Aqua University in West Godavari.
Former APSADA Vice-Chairman Vaddi Raghuram alleged that the coalition government weakened the APSADA Act through Government Order (GO) 180 and was allowing feed companies, processing units and syndicates to exploit farmers. He termed the rising burden a “CLP tax” (Chandrababu, Lokesh and Pawan Kalyan).
Raghuram alleged a Rs 1,400-crore burden through power-factor norms and challenged the government to disclose how much of the claimed Rs 1,200-crore power subsidy had actually reached farmers since June.
The leaders demanded immediate rollback of increased feed prices, withdrawal of power-factor norms and restoration of effective regulation. They said YSRCP would stand firmly with aqua farmers and launch legal and political action until their problems were resolved.