Women farmers in large numbers observed relay fast to put pressure on the State government to arrest the free fall in the prices of subabul and eucalyptus.
Leading the protest in front of the Collectorate here, National Federation of Indian Women State President V.Jayalakshmi said it was unfortunate that the State government had turned a deaf ear to the farmers’ woes in the last three years.
Prices of logs were revised upwards in 2014 as farmers switched over to social forestry plantations after commercial crops such as cotton, chillis and tobacco failed to generate profits, pointed out Communist Party of India Prakasam district Secretary K.Aruna.
Farmers were underpaid as the State government remained a mute spectator to violation of the agreement by paper mills after agreeing to purchase subabul at ₹4,400 per tonne and eucalyptus at ₹4,600 per tonne in 2014-15. Not even half of the prices fixed by the government were realised by farmers, said All India Rythu Collie Sangam State Ch.Padma.
Progressive Organisation for Women(POW) District President S.Bharati asked why the farmers in the district alone had to debark eucalyptus while marketing when their counterparts elsewhere marketed the logs only in unbarked conditon.
The State government should ensure that the paper mills did not pay different rates in different districts, YSR Congress Women's wing leader B.Indira said.
Farmers should be paid uniform price for logs across the State,insisted Ms Indira while addressing the farmers from Vetapalem, Ongole, Ulavapadu, Maddipadu and Ponnalur who observed relay hunger strike on the fourth day of their protest.
