Collector assures justice to cotton farmers

PNS|NARASARAOPET

District Collector L Shiva Sankar has assured the cotton farmers, who incurred losses due to suspected poor quality seeds, to do justice.

The Collector visited Tallacheruvu village along with Pedakurapadu MLA Namburi Shankar Rao and inspected the cotton fields and examined the cotton crop. About 90 farmers purchased ‘Sixer’ cotton seeds produced by the Ganga Kaveri company. The farmers raised the cotton crop on 350 acres in the village but they yielded very low cotton produce. The farmers complained about the quality of the seeds to the MLA who brought it to the notice of the Collector.

Responding to this, the District Collector held a Gram Sabha and spoke to the farmers at Thallacheruvu village. As the farmers told the Collector that they raised cotton crops earlier also but did not get the yield either. The officials of the agriculture department and the scientists inspected the cotton crops at the field level and submitted a report to the district Collector previously.

The Collector assured the farmers a special meeting would be organized soon in the Collectorate together with the representatives of the company, agriculture department, scientists, and farmers to resolve the problem. The district Collector said that after receiving the DNA test report of the seeds, he would order the officials to take action against the company. The Collector asked the farmers not to worry and promised them that their problem would be resolved.

Later the Collector visited Pedapalem village and participated in ‘Bhoomi Pooja’ programme at the Jagannana colony. The government has sanctioned house sites for 102 beneficiaries in the village to construct houses of which eight beneficiaries performed ‘Bhoomi Pooja’ for constructing houses in which the Collector and MLA participated.

The Collector directed the officials to work in coordination to ensure the welfare schemes reach all the eligible beneficiaries development schemes of the government. The State government took u the Jagananna colonies project as a flagship programme, the Collector said and appealed to all the beneficiaries to construct houses in the colony.

MLA Namburi Shankar Rao said that the ‘Navaratnalu’ programme introduced by Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy had paved the way for the progress of the state and claimed that the people were using the welfare schemes being implemented by the government. Special officer Anjaneyulu, AE Venkateswara Rao, Agriculture ADA Hanumantha Rao, and AO Venugopal were among those who were present.