Hyderabad, November 18: Opposition leader N Chandrababu Naidu today urged chief minister K Rosaiah to announce a compensation of Rs 5,000 per acre to farmers who lost their crops due to recent heavy rains.
In a letter to the chief minister, Naidu said: “I strongly believe that farmers’ problems deserve your personal attention. I request you to bestow liberal assistance to the farmers who are victims of a series of natural calamities.” Naidu said groundnut, the principal crop in Anantapur district, was totally damaged this year also, making it the fourth year the farmers had lost the crop in the district.
Besides insurance, input subsidy should also be provided to the affected farmers, he said.
Naidu said Bengal gram farmers in Anantapur, Kurnool and Kadapa districts also suffered total loss for the fourth consecutive year.
There was a need to depute agricultural scientists from universities and senior officers from the Agricultural Commissioner’s office to the fields to guide farmers on how to save the crop, he said.
–Agencies