Fuel price hike: UP seeks subsidy on diesel

By Staff
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Google Oneindia News

Lucknow, Jun 9 (UNI) The Uttar Pradesh government has urged the Centre to exempt farmers from the recent hike in the prices of petroleum products and sought subsidy on diesel.

In a letter to Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram and Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, state Agriculture minister Ashok Bajpai expressed serious concern over deteriorating financial condition of farmers in the wake of unprecedented increase in agriculture inputs, which had made farming a loss-incurring venture.

He said a parallel distribution system to provide subsidised agriculture inputs, including diesel, to the farmers should be set up.

''I underlined the need for a special subsidy package to pull them out from the financial crisis,'' he told reporters today.

Mr Bajpai suggested that a special quota of petroleum products should be reserved at every petrol pump for farmers to ensure regular supply of diesel to them.

Besides, the Central government must join hands with state governments to ensure timely and cost-effective supply of agriculture inputs, such as seeds, fertilizer, petroleum products and other inputs to check exploitation of farmers by middlemen and profit-hungry traders.

The agriculture minister expressed confidence that the Central government, particularly the Agriculture ministry, would take a serious note of farmers' plight and take remedial measures at the earliest.

The minister alleged that a number of farmers were quitting traditional farming to adopt export-oriented crops in hope of better returns. But this could become a serious problem in the long term as ultimately it would adversely affect produce of traditional food grains which were the basic requirements to feed over 100 crore people of the country, he said.

UNI NAB MSJ VV1514

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