UNPA plans agitation on farm issues

With an eye on creating a new base for itself, the United National Progressive Alliance (UNPA) today announced a programme of agitation focused on the agrarian crisis in the country.

As a first step, the grouping demanded Minimum Support Price (MSP) for all commodities be hiked by 50 per cent.

UNPA leaders said they would interact with farmers in distress in various parts of the country, starting with Aurangabad in Vidarbha, a region known for farmers' suicides in the country.

The UNPA also met Left leaders Prakash Karat and A B Bardhan to plan a strategy jointly with them for their agitation.

"There is no mechanism to help farmers in the country. The government is subsidising foreign farmers through imports but offering a measly MSP to our farmers. The cost of all agricultural inputs is going up but not the MSP," N Chandrababu Naidu, convenor, UNPA told reporters here.

Naidu said that from 2001 onwards, the country's population had increased by 10 crore but food production was at a standstill.

"The UPA government came into power criticising the earlier NDA government for neglecting the farmers' problems. But it has done nothing for them. Now it is even planning to import rice," he said.