KOLHAPUR: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo Sharad Pawar on Monday said that the governments at the Centre and state are concerned only about the consumers and not about the farmers.

"When we were in power, we consciously implemented policies to ensure that farmers are getting fair price. There were allegations against us that the inflation increased during our period but we did not pay heed," Pawar said.

"These governments are thinking about consumers only. That has hit the agriculture sector hard. The governments must have take steps to balance the consumers and producers. The present conditions are not good for the economy,"he added.

Speaking on sugar prices, Pawar said he does not expect sugar export to increase in the coming days as the international prices have declined. But he added that the factories can pay fair and remunerative price in the coming season.

Pawar also brushed aside discussions taking rounds in political circles that he is eyeing the President's post. "I know the ground realities better. The NCP has a strength of 13 in Parliament and we cannot think of contesting such elections," he said.

While attending the 103rd anniversary of the Kolhapur Urban Cooperative Bank, Pawar said the Reserve Bank Of India must adopt a sympathetic approach while making polices for cooperative banking.

Referring to the Kolhapur Urban Coop's record of maintaining zero non-performing assets, Pawar asked the cooperative bankers to learn from this century-old bank.