Irate farmers, under the aegis of the Andhra Pradesh Rythu Sangham (APRS), blocked vehicular traffic at several places on the old Madras Road in Prakasam district on Tuesday, urging the State government to come to their rescue without any further loss of time.
Farmers placed tractors helter-skelter, burnt chilli, and squatted on the highways, including East Coast Highway and Nakrekal-Renigunta National Highway, and Kunta junction near Markapur braving severe heat. Police personnel, led by Ongole Deputy Superintendent of Police G. Srinivasa Rao, rushed to the spot and restored vehicular traffic.
Market intervention
Leading the protest at Parchur, APRS-led Kavulu Rythu Sangham State secretary P. Jamalaiah urged the government to take immediate steps to ensure buoyancy in the market by pressing into service the Markfed before the farmers resorted to the extreme step.
He rejected the ₹1,500 incentive announced by the government saying that there was an urgent need to allow market intervention.
The “inordinate delay” in market intervention was costing the farmers dearly, particularly the tenant farmers who lacked institutional credit, said Kavulu Rythu Sangham district secretary P. Hanumantha Rao while leading the protest at Inkollu.
At the Kunta junction, APRS district secretary P. Venkat Rao demanded that farmers be paid ₹10,000 per quintal. “The Central and State governments are competing with each other in granting favours to the domestic and multinational companies. What is preventing them from coming to the rescue of the farmers who are struggling to get remunerative price for their produce?” he questioned.
