Indian farm sector in deep crisis: Indirasena Reddy

Hyderabad, June 5 (UNI) BJP National Secretary N Indirasena Reddy today alleged that the farm sector in the country was in a deep crisis, forcing as many as 15 to 20 peasants to end their lives every day, as a result of 'wrong' policies of both the Central and state governments.

Even the Planning Commission had acknowledged the fact that contribution of the farm sector to the overall Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was only 1.7 per cent at a time, he told at a press conference here.

Vexed with distressing condition as much as 40 per cent of the peasants wanted to give up farming, he said, accusing the two governments of being ''insincere'' to the cause of farmers.

Mr Reddy, also in-charge of the BJP kisan wing, alleged that the UPA had repealed the Seed Act without bringing in a piece of legislation to replace the old Act, giving a free hand to unscruplous seed companies to cheat the gullible farmers by supplying spurious seeds.

Expressing concern over arrest of 20 farmers in Kadapa, Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy's home district, for failing to repay loans to private money lenders, he lamented that farmers demanding seeds were lathicharged under the ''so called farmer-friendly Congress Government''. He demanded that the government put on hold the Revenue Recovery Act and provide relief to the debt-ridden farmers.

He urged the state government to come out with a white paper on the availablity of various seeds for the coming farm season.

UNI