BENGALURU: Farmers on Tuesday staged a protest at Freedom Park in Bengaluru, demanding farm loan waiver and compensation for crop loss due to drought.
They urged Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to give Rs 25,000 per acre as compensation to farmers, since the government released Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu and not to farmers in the state, when they were suffering from the drought.
Members of the State Sugarcane Growers Association and Green Birds staged the protest under the leadership of Karnataka Sugarcane Growers Association president Kurubur Shanthakumar. The Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) of sugarcane should be changed to that of the rate fixed in the farmers’ fields.
The sugar factories have already reduced sugarcane harvest and transportation rates, and excess money deducted from farmers should be returned to them, they urged.
They urged the state government to announce an insurance scheme along the lines of a scheme in Telangana to provide Rs 5 lakh cover to everyone.
The state government should open centres at the hobli level to procure agricultural produce from farmers and remove the limit on procurement, the farmers urged the CM.
They also demanded the government to change agricultural credit policy and all nationalised banks should provide interest-free loans.
They also appealed to the CM to provide more funds for the agriculture sector and implement schemes for farmer uplift.
Meanwhile, BJP workers staged a protest demanding the state government to provide incentives to dairy farmers. The party leaders said if the government continues to neglect farmers, they will stage a protest near Vidhana Soudha.