Union Budget 2023-24 Reflects Anti-Farmer Attitude of Centre: BJD

Bargarh: The Union Budget 2023-24 has reflected the anti-farmer attitude of the Centre, alleged Odisha’s ruling Biju Janata Dal on Tuesday.

Addressing a press meet, BJD senior Vice President and former MP Prasanna Acharya said that Centre has done a huge reduction of Rs. 20,000 crores in paddy procurement in Union Budget this year. Forget about Swaminathan Commission report recommendations implementation, this huge slashing by Rs. 20,000 Crores will virtually ensure that the farmers are unable to even get their MSP and Paddy Procurement will drastically go down. This will severely affect the farmers of Odisha, especially from Western Odisha and deeply impact their livelihood, he said.

The Centre won’t increase the MSP therefore to 1.5 times and the demand of the Odisha farmers as passed by the Odisha Legislative Assembly unanimously to increase MSP of paddy per quintal to Rs. 2930 will again be rejected by the Centre, causing angst and pain to lakhs of farmers of Odisha, the senior BJD leader said.

The Centre has also slashed the foodgrain procurement target of Odisha. From 18 lakh metric ton (MT) rice which used to be lifted from Odisha by Food Corporation of India (FCI) annually, now for 2022-23 the Centre has reduced it 80% to only 4 lakh MT.

Bargarh district of Odisha alone produces 4 lakh MT of rice, what will happen to the rest 29 districts of Odisha? Where will the farmers of those 29 districts sell their paddy? The Centre is completely silent about it. Western Odisha farmers will suffer the most due to this injustice by the Centre. What are the Five BJP MPs of western Odisha doing? They were elected by the people of western Odisha in 2019 but they have never said one word in favour of the farmers of western Odisha for paddy procurement. How will they even face the same voters in 2024 who had trusted them in 2019?Why are the Central Ministers from Odisha silent at the Centre about issues relating to paddy procurement and not speaking up in the interest of the farmers of western Odisha? Will the farmers and voters of western Odisha trust the BJP’s Central Ministers from Odisha and BJP MPs from Western Odisha in future, more so seeing their silence?, the BJD leader asked.