Hyderabad: Acknowledging the Central government’s contentious farm laws, Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Sunday said that there was no need for regulated farming and that the farmers can sell their produce wherever they can fetch a higher price.
“The new farm laws being implemented in the country allowed the farmers to sell their crop anywhere. Hence, the state government need not set purchase centers in the villages,” KCR said, in a review meeting held at Pragati Bhavan.
Interestingly, the Telangana Rashtra Samiti-led government extended support to the agitating farmers in Delhi, by directly participating in the nationwide strike on December 8. It may be recalled that KCR said that the fight shall continue until the bills are withdrawn by the Centre.
This year, the state government purchased farm produce directly from the farmers keeping in view the COVID-19 pandemic situation, through procurement centers in villages. Direct purchase by the state from farmers is not possible from now on, officials said.
“It is not possible to do the same thing every time. The government is not a business organization or a trader. It is not a rice miller or a dal miller. Sale and purchase is not the responsibility of the government. It is not possible to set up purchase centers in the villages from next year onwards,” an official release from the chief minister’s office read.
Besides, it was also decided that there was no requirement for the government to suggest the crop pattern from the next year.