Karnataka farmers stage flash protest over drop in vegetable prices
MYSURU: Irked over the fall in prices of several farm produces especially ahead of Deepavali festival scheduled to start on Tuesday, irate farmers staged a protest at the Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) yard in Bandipalya on the outskirts of the city on Sunday. Some of the farmers who dumped the farm produces in front of the administrative wing of APMC, also distributed the produce for free among the passersby only to register their protest against the middlemen.
According to the farmers who came with loads of vegetables like tomato, green chilli, brinjal, cucumber, cauliflower, ladies finger, ash gourd and other vegetables, the wholesale traders and commission agents offered measly sum of 50 paisa to Rs 1.5 for a kg of tomato and Rs 3 per kg for other vegetables.
Three days ago, the prices of most of the vegetables was fixed at Rs 10 and slashed in the range of Rs 2 to Rs 3 later.
Unlike other vegetables, tomato, ash gourd, cucumber, brinjal and cauliflower are being brought to the market in a huge quantity, with the farmers from Mysuru, Mandya, Chamarajanagar, Hassan and also from faraway Tumakuru transporting the same with the only hope of making some windfall during the festival. However, the prices offered by middlemen are too inadequate to meet even the transport cost.
Compensation to farmers
Chamarajanagar: The district administration has been issuing cheques towards compensation to those farmers whose lands have been acquired for Kollegal-Hanur highway works under Karnataka State Highway Improvement Project.According to Assistant Commissioner Fauzia Tharannum, in all 12 villages coming under the project, the farmers have consented for direct sale, including those of Madhuvanahalli, Singanallur and Haruvapura.