Ongole, May 10: The Telugu Desam president, Mr N. Chandrababu Naidu, demanded on Monday at Podili the inclusion of agricultural works in the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme to benefit farmers. Referring to the hardships of tobacco, subabul, sweet lemon and paddy farmers, he demanded minimum support prices for these and purchase by government through the AP State Trading Corporation (APSTC). He alleged that officials had supplied low quality seeds which had reduced tobacco yields. Recalling the purchase of agricultural produce by government during the TD regime, he demanded allocation of Rs 50 to Rs 100 crore to the Tobacco Growers Society and APSTC to purchase produce. He demanded implementation of the Dr Swaminathan Committee suggestions for the welfare of farmers. Mr Chandrababu was on a one-day tour of Prakasam district to interact with farmers. Addressing farmers at Podili, the TD president alleged that 6,600 farmers had committed suicide in the state due to debts in the last six years of Congress rule. He said that MGNREGS officials had recently spent Rs 80,000, at Gurvajipalli of Kanigiri mandal, for felicitating ministers by drawing the money in the name of wages for MGNREGS works. He demanded a thorough inquiry into the matter. Mentioning the funds crunch for the Pula Subbaiah Veligonda project, Mr Naidu demanded first priority and threatened of starting an agitation if government failed to do so. The TD president inspected the quality of tobacco in the auction centre and later took out a road show to Darsi in which Markapuram TD MLA, Mr Kandula Narayana Reddy, and other party leaders participated.