Aizawl: The All Mizoram Farmers' Union (AMFU), the lone farmers' association in Mizoram, on Saturday accused the state government of neglecting the welfare of farmers and demanded implementation of Agriculture Produce Marketing Control (APMC) Act which was passed by the Assembly in 2008.

AMFU general secretary Zion Lalremruata told reporters here that farmers were facing problems because of laxity on the part of the state government to address their plight.

He said the government had not made any effort to address the problems of farmers, who are living a hand-to-mouth existence.

He said the farmers often face problems in the absence of an organised market as the state government has failed to implement the APMC Act even 10 years after it was passed.

Citing the problems faced by ginger growers in the absence of a market, Lalremruata demanded organised markets so that the growers can sell their products at a reasonable price.

Lalremruata said chief minister Lal Thanhawla had assured the union in April last year that the act would be implemented but it had not done so till date. He demanded that this be dome immediately to address the problems of the farmers.

He asked the state government to launch land reforms and implement the recommendations of the Land Reform Committee under New Economic Development Policy (NEDP) and APMC Act before August.

Lalremruata criticised the government for allotting Rs 400 crore to ruling Congress MLAs for selecting beneficiaries in their constituencies under the New Land Use Policy (NLUP), thereby ignoring Opposition MLAs.

He said peopleshould be allowed to avail of the benefits of flagship programmes without any party affiliation.

He asked the chief minister to revoke the order of allotting Rs 400 crore to Congress MLAs for NLUP assistance.

Lalremruata also criticised the government for failing to provide security to journalists and students during a border standoff between Mizoram and Assam in March. He appealed to the government to develop the border areas.