VIJAYAPURA : Cooperative Minister Shivanand Patil on Monday claimed that he didn’t say that farmers wish for drought.“Drought is common in North Karnataka. The region faces drought every three to four years. I suggested farmers adopt modern agricultural methods to tide over drought,” he told reporters.
The farmers will have the capacity to lend to the government if they do farming in a scientific manner, he said.
Alleging that some policies of the central government are against the interest of farmers, Patil said the government has banned the export of sugar. Because of this, the price of sugar in other countries is around Rs 60 per kg, while in India, it is at Rs 40 per kg.
“Similarly, when the prices of copra dropped, the central government did not take any action. The central government has also banned the export of onion and cotton. These policies go against the interest of farmers. If these policies are reversed, then there will be no need to waive farm loans. On the contrary, farmers will become so prosperous that they will be in a position to lend to the government,” he said.
He asserted that central government policies on agriculture must be revised. Referring to the APMC Act, he said while the Centre withdrew it, the previous BJP government in the state which had formulated a similar act, did not pull it out.