No due priority to agriculture in Budget: Farmers Commission Chairman

Telangana Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Commission Chairman M. Kodanda Reddy expressed disappointment over the Union Budget, stating that the agriculture sector has not been given due priority. He alleged that the Union government was planning to hand over the sector to big corporate companies.

In a statement, Mr. Reddy said the agriculture sector, including the fisheries department, has been allocated ₹1,71,437 crore, which is only 2.51% of the total budget of ₹50,65,345 crore. However, the actual allocation for the agriculture sector is ₹1,27,290 crore, a mere increase of ₹5,000 crore from the previous Budget, he added.

Mr. Reddy pointed out that the Budget lacks new ideas for rural areas and that the National Institute of Rural Development (NIRD) in Telangana had a proposal to allocate ₹77 crore rejected. The Budget’s allocation for organic farming is also insufficient, with only ₹616 crore allocated, a mere increase of ₹100 crore from the previous Budget, he said.

“Further, there is no proposal to address the shortage of agricultural labourers in villages. The government’s plan to identify 100 backward districts and encourage pulses cultivation has been allocated a meagre ₹1,000 crore. Mr. Reddy also recalled the farmers’ agitation in Haryana and Delhi in 2020, which demanded the legalization of the Minimum Support Price (MSP), a demand that has not been met in the current Budget,” he added.