Postpone new crop policy: Uttam

President of the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee N. Uttam Kumar Reddy demanded that Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao postpone the implementation of the new policy on regulated cropping pattern to next year, after holding comprehensive deliberations with all the stakeholders, especially the farmers.

He was addressing a press conference at Gandhi Bhavan on Wednesday along with All India Kisan Cell vice chairman M. Kodanda Reddy, Covid-19 Task Force chairman Marri Shashidhar Reddy, former minister G. Chinna Reddy and AICC secretary Vamshichand Reddy.

Mr Uttam Kumar Reddy said the Congress party had a detailed discussion on the proposed agricultural policy based on the information available in the public domain. He said there were lots of doubts and apprehensions and no clarity on what the policy stands for.

The TPCC president said that the proposed policy should be implemented from next year as less than a week is left for sowing to begin for the kharif season. At this stage, he said, the state government cannot force farmers to cultivate the crops of its choice. He said that the state government should draft a comprehensive policy after holding discussions with farmers, scientists and opposition parties, and start implementation from next year. He said that the Congress party was strongly opposed to the proposed policy in its present form.

He accused the Chief Minister of threatening farmers with serious consequences if they refused to grow the crops the state government told them to grow.