Former Minister and farmer leader Vadde Sobhanadreeswara Rao on Friday urged States to enact land leasing laws to ensure that tenant farmers had access to institutional credit, input subsidy and calamity relief even while protecting the rights of land owners.
Government subsidy to farmers was a poor -14.4% in the country compared to 7% in Brazil, 9.5% in the USA, 15% in China and 19.5% in European Union and even this was out of reach for tenant farmers who accounted for a majority of growers.
Already some States like Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh had enacted pieces of legislation in this regard. “It is high time Andhra Pradesh and other States followed suit,” he said.
The cash transfer scheme announced by the Union and some State governments including Telangana and Andhra Pradesh was welcome. But the governments should ensure that the benefits reached the tenant farmers at the grassroots level.
He was speaking after unveiling a life-size statue of prof.N.G.Ranga, a veteran Parliamentarian and champion of farmers, in the presence of the latter’s admirers like industrialist couple Galla Ramachandra Naidu and Galla Aruna Kumari and TDP MPs Galla Jayadev and K.Narayana, near the Agricultural Market Committee here.
‘Inspiring leader’
Mr.Jayadev said he drew inspiration from prof. Ranga who strove all through his life for farmers, farm labourers, weavers, artisans and other downtrodden communities after doing thesis on ‘Economics of Khaddar and Handlooms’ at Oxford University.
Mr.Narayana recalled his family’s association with prof. Ranga who had organised the National Peasants Movement against controls, compulsory procurement of foodgrains and unremunerative prices.
Acharya N.G.Ranga Kisan Samastha president Alla Venkateswara Rao and secretary Ch.Seshaiah mobilised funds for installing the statue.
Ramayapatnam port
Meanwhile, in a statement here, Mr. Sobhanadreeswara Rao urged the State government to give its consent to the Centre for grounding the second public sector project on the east coast at Ramayapatnam.
It was unfortunate that the MoUs entered into during the investors summits for setting up an aerospace park, food park and auto ancillary units at Donakonda remained only on paper, he said.
The Veligonda project remained incomplete and the benefits of the Gundalakamma project had not reached the farmers in the absence of canal network, he added.
