Vijayawada: Tenant Farmers Association on Wednesday demanded the government to strictly implement the Tenant Farmers Act-2011.
Speakers at a roundtable conference here demanded the government issue loan eligibility cards and announce zero-interest loans, grant input subsidies, crop insurance and other incentives to tenant farmers, on the lines of landed farmers.
Association president Y. Keshava Rao said that 90 farmers committed suicide in the two months since the YSRC government took charge; most of them were tenant farmers and from Guntur, Prakasam, Kurnool and Anantapur districts.
He said that the farmers took loans from private financiers at 2 per cent to `5 per cent interest per day due to the false promises are given by the previous TD government and as debts piled up, they had no option but to take their own life,.
He pointed out that the TD government did not waive loans and also failed to provide minimum support price to the harvested crop.
Association state secretary P. Jamalaiah introduced a resolution that the government should take responsibility of educating the children of the tenant farmers who have committed suicide besides announcing pension of `10,000 to their widow.
Association state general secretary K.V.V. Prasad demanded the government give `10 lakh ex gratia to the family of the farmer that commits suicide.
Association vice-president M. Srinivas Rao said that the government should take the responsibility of stopping farmer suicides by clearing debts of the farmers and also support the families of the victims.
