BHUBANESWAR: Alleging that the State Government has ignored the plight of farmers, Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) on Thursday demanded that all crop loans should be waived.
“Most of the States in the country have waived crop loans. We request that Odisha Government be advised to waive the entire crop loan of all farmers availed from cooperative and national banks so that they can avail fresh loan for the next crop,” OPCC Khet Mazdoor Congress said in a memorandum to Governor Ganeshi Lal.
Alleging that the administrations of 17 districts have not assessed the crop damage properly, the memorandum demanded that the norms of National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) be amended to provide assistance of Rs 20,000 per acre to the affected farmers.
The State Government has declared Rs 13,500 and Rs 6800 input subsidy per hectare for irrigated and non-irrigated land respectively. “We demand immediate redressal measures after proper assessment of loss to save the livelihood of lakhs of farmers in the affected districts,” chairman of Kissan Khet Mazdoor Congress Amiya Kumar Pattanaik said.
Stating that the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of paddy is meagre and not in accordance with the production cost, the memorandum demanded that the State Government be asked to give a bonus of Rs 300 per quintal. The Governor should also impress upon the Centre to increase MSP of paddy to Rs 3000 per quintal, particularly for Odisha farmers as the production cost is more here compared to other States, it said.
Immediate measures should be taken to save standing crop from pest menace as paddy and vegetables have been extensively damaged due to severe attack of swarming caterpillars, plant hoppers and borers in the Western and Northern districts, the memorandum stated.
Alleging that 7000 farmers have committed suicide during the 19-year tenure of BJD Government, the memorandum demanded that the State Government be directed to take remedial measures.