Kerala agriculture minister counters actor Jayasurya’s statement on paddy farmers’ plight

On Monday, actor Jayasurya blamed the state government for not paying the procurement amount to paddy farmers and said it was not surprising that the new generation is not entering the sector.

Kerala Agriculture Minister P Prasad.

KOCHI: Agriculture Minister P Prasad on Wednesday came out in defence of the LDF government and his department after actor Jayasurya’s critical speech on the plight of the paddy farmers in the state went viral on Monday. Prasad, during the election campaign of LDF candidate Jaick C Thomas in Puthuppally on Wednesday, said the actor’s statements were factually wrong.

“Farmers are paid Rs 28 per kg of paddy. Of this, the Centre pays Rs 20.50 and the state adds another Rs 7.50 as it knows that the Union government’s aid will not be sufficient. However, the Centre has delayed their share of payment. Even banks backed off from cooperating with the state to provide the procurement amount to paddy farmers. Even then, we distributed our share of Rs 7.50 per kg among the farmers this Onam season. We have also communicated with the bank consortium to release the due amount,” said the minister. Prasad said that Kerala is the only state that pays its farmers. “Seeds and electricity are provided to them free of charge. The farmers receive many other benefits, too,” he said.

Speaking at the concluding session of ‘Krishikkoppam Kalamassery’, an initiative to promote agriculture in his constituency by Minister P Rajeeve, on Monday, Jayasurya blamed the state government for not paying the procurement amount to paddy farmers and said it was not surprising that the new generation is not entering the sector. Both Rajeeve and Prasad were present on the stage when Jayasurya, the chief guest at the function, made the criticism. Jayasurya also came out against Prasad for his statement on more youths being uninvolved in agriculture.

“The agriculture minister said that the new generation doesn’t like getting their clothes dirty. It is not dirt that stops them from farming. They see their parents fasting on Thiruvonam day. How will they then be interested in the field?” he asked. Jayasurya also urged the ministers to set up a basic quality-checking system in the state.

“The vegetables that we consume contain huge amounts of pesticides. We lack an effective quality-checking system. Hence, we end up eating second or third-class products,” he said. The actor also cited the example of his friend Krishnaprasad from Kumarakom, who, he said, went on a hunger strike on Onam day because the SupplyCo failed to pay him the amount for the paddy he sold for the last five or six months.