BENGALURU: Former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy has demanded the state government immediately clear the arrears with interest for sugarcane growers. He has also condemned the Union government’s import duty cut on silk.
Kumaraswamy, who is set to start a three-day padayatra from Dharwad to Belagavi on June 25 has accused Chief minister Siddaramaiah of shedding crocodile tears for farmers. “The state government should immediately clear the arrears of sugarcane farmers with interest and also pay Rs 500 incentive for every ton of sugarcane supplied to factories,” he said in a statement released on Sunday.
Kumaraswamy has also demanded crop loan waiver for grape and lime growers, who have suffered due to the recent unseasonal rain and hail storms.
Expressing serious concern at the plight of sericulture farmers, he said import duty reduction from 33 per cent to 10 per cent has resulted in a crash of cocoon prices in the state. “It is a mockery of Modi’s Make in India slogan as the reduction in import duty has enabled Made in China silk products to flood the local market,” he said.
