People's Democracy

Police  Repression On Farmers Agitating For Seeds

M Venugopala Rao

IN THE face of its utter failure  to ensure timely  and adequate supply of seeds to the farmers in Andhra Pradesh, the Chandrababu Naidu government has unleashed a wave of repression to silence the agitating farmers. At Chevalla in Rangareddy district, the police resorted to brutal lathicharge and firing on the agitating farmers and others on June 25, resulting in the death of a meat vendor and causing injuries to more than 100 people, with serious injuries to about 30 farmers. Distribution of seeds for farmers of four Mandals in the district was arranged at Chevella at a single counter, leading to heavy rush. When the farmers questioned a constable who unnecessarily beat up a farmer Mallesh, the police resorted to indiscriminate lathicharge.  When the farmers staged a dharna in front of the police station protesting against the lathicharge, the police commanded by the Deputy SP and the SI, instead of pacifying the agitated farmers, resorted to firing without any warning. Two persons were injured. The police also resorted to indiscriminate lathicharge on some others who were taking meal at a nearby hotel and also on some of the Press reporters who reached the spot to cover the events.  A little while later, the Superintendent of Police came with a posse of about 100 constables and resorted to indiscriminate lathicharge on passers-by and also on some of the leaders, including S Malla Reddy, secretary of AP Rythu Sangham and P Janga Reddy, district leader of the Sangham. Farmers led by leaders of the CPI(M), the CPI and the Congress sat in front of the police station and protested against the brutal lathicharge and firing by the police. They also conducted rasta roko.  The police brutality invited all-round condemnation.  Vittalji, a meat vendor, who received serious injuries in the police lathicharge, died the next day in a hospital.  Afraid of the police harassment, most of the injured farmers got themselves treated in private hospitals. Protesting against the police brutality, a bandh was observed in Rangareddy district. 

Earlier, the police resorted to lathicharge on the farmers of three Mandals who were agitating for groundnut seed at Gorantla Mandal in Anantapur district on June 17, and on farmers at Madakasira on June 23. Similarly, farmers in Chittoor, Nalgonda, Karimnagar, Warangal and Guntur districts agitated for supply of seeds and against distribution of spurious seeds by private dealers.  Condemning the police lathicharge and firing on farmers, B V Raghavulu, secretary of the state committee of the CPI(M), demanded the state government to take severe action on the officers responsible for the same and  arrange for distribution of required seeds on a war footing.  In a letter to the chief minister, N Chandrababu Naidu, he asked the government to supply groundnut seed to small and marginal farmers free of cost and to other farmers with 50 per cent subsidy. Raghavulu also found fault with the chief minister for going back on his stated commitment to supply seeds by declaring that the government would distribute only five per cent of seeds.

Keeping in view the scarcity for seeds mainly caused by the unprecedented drought last year, the government should have taken necessary steps to procure seeds on a large scale to timely address the requirement of farmers. During the last rabi season, in the face of power shortage, the government was requested to supply power at least for production of seeds, but power was supplied for only five to seven hours, resulting in reduction of seed production.   Against distribution of 13.93 lakh quintals of seed last year, the government planned for distribution of 14.49 lakh quintals this year. The government created false hopes among the farmers by promising to supply required seeds and the minister for agriculture made a statement to this effect. Last year also, the police resorted to lathicharge on farmers agitating for seeds in Mahbubnagar, Anantapur and Kurnool districts.  Learning no lessons from the past experience, the government failed to take necessary steps to improve the situation.

‘SPURIOUS’ POLICIES

RUIN FARMERS

Farmers are switching over to other crops and in the absence of sufficient number of agricultural officers at the field level, the government had  no feedback and proper planning for procuring and distributing seeds required by the farmers.  Andhra Pradesh Seed Development Corporation has been weakened by the government gradually.  The latest report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India gave a detailed account of how the Corporation failed in its objectives and its irregularities and pro-private dealer manoeuvers  resulted in an avoidable  loss of Rs 30 crore over a period of five years from 1997-98 to 2001-02. During this period, the Corporation could achieve its targets for certified seed  by 61 per cent and foundation seed by 49 per cent only. 

Spurious seeds are a serious problem especially in areas where commercial crops are being cultivated on a large scale.  Mainly cotton, chillies and maize seeds are found to be spurious and the farmers in Warangal and Guntur districts are agitating against the private dealers who caused them serious loss by supplying spurious seeds.  Here, too, the state government failed miserably to protect the farmers from the menace of spurious seeds.  Stating that the Seed Control Act was ineffective in punishing the suppliers of spurious seeds, the state government had entered into memoranda of understanding with private seed companies two years back.  It had requested the central government to amend the Act and sent some proposals also to facilitate punishment to the offenders but to no avail. Taking advantage of the lenient attitude of the government, trade in spurious seeds is flourishing. Though the department of agriculture and the powers-that-be know  the people dealing in spurious seeds,  they are not taking any action to curb the menace.

In 1995, the seed village programme was introduced under which farmers were given 5 kgs of foundation seed subject to a maximum extent of one hectare per farmer to encourage production of required seed to meet the requirement in that village and surrounding villages. This programme facilitated availability of cheap and genuine seeds.  With the government neglecting the programme during the last two years, it almost came to a standstill. The programme is linked to the AP Agricultural University.  As a result of reducing grants and the number of scientists to the University, the programme was affected.