The Hindu : Karnataka News : Sangha demands support price for all crops

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Friday, May 16, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka

Sangha demands support price for all crops

Staff Correspondent

Incentive sought for practising organic farming
Demand to drop service charges on subsidised loans

Udupi: The Udupi Zilla Krishik Sangha has urged political parties and their candidates contesting the Assembly elections to give priority to the needs of farmers in the district.

Addressing presspersons here on Tuesday, president of the sangha Ramakrishna Sharma said that the foremost demand was for a support price for all the crops grown in the district. The support price for paddy should be Rs. 1,000 a quintal, arecanut Rs. 120 a kg, coconut Rs. 10 each, copra Rs. 50 a kg, jasmine Rs. 100 for one “atte”, milk Rs. 20 a litre, cashewnut Rs. 50 a kg, and bananas Rs. 15 a kg.

Incentives should be given to farmers practicing organic farming. Government should establish markets for all the crops grown by the farmers in the district. Storage facilities should be provided for vegetables, fruits, and other agricultural produce, round the year. Quality seeds should be provided at subsidised rates for the farmers, he said.

Dairy farming, bee keeping, poultry, rearing of pigs and rabbits, and fish production by farmers should be encouraged. The officials of the departments of Agriculture, Horticulture, and the Revenue should be instructed to stay in villages for one day in a week so that they understood the problems of farmers , he said.

The auctioning of properties and lands of farmers should be stopped. Service charges on subsidised agricultural loan should be dropped. If the amount of interest paid by farmers exceeds the principal, such loans should be waived. Crop insurance should be extended to all crops in the district.

Government should encourage farmers with small pieces of lands to use modern technology. New vented dams should be built wherever necessary and existing ones should be repaired. Saltwater check dams should be . Kerosene and diesel at subsidised rates should be provided for agriculture pumpsets. A pension of Rs. 1,500 a month should be provided to farmers who had crossed 60 years, Mr. Sharma said.

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