The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : ‘Fix cane price at Rs. 1,750 a tonne’

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Tuesday, Sep 16, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

‘Fix cane price at Rs. 1,750 a tonne’

Special Correspondent

BANGALORE: The State unit of Bharatiya Kisan Sangh has urged the Government to fix the support price for sugarcane at Rs. 1,750 a tonne as recommended by the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices.

Sangh president and former MLC Anna Vinayachandra told presspersons here on Monday that the minimum support price for various crops, including sugarcane, was less than 35 per cent of the production cost.

He said the Government had not been taking steps to protect farmers’ interests. It should stop making tall claims for political gains and take measures to streamline the marketing system and fix a profitable price, he added.

Free power supply

If the Government had any concern for farmers it should provide free supply of power for 12 hours to all those farmers who have fixed 15 hp motors to their pumpsets.

Besides, children of farmers should be given free education and pension announced for poor farmers, he said.

Demanding that the milk price be raised to Rs. 22 a litre, he said that the Government which had been boasting that it was for farmers was in fact acting against their interests.

It was announced that a support price of Rs. 2 for a litre of milk would be given. But the Government was dillydallying on implementing it.

It had reduced subsidy on agricultural tools from 50 per cent to 25 per cent and had failed to supply fertilizers properly. Many cheques it had issued to farmers as compensation had bounced. The Government had been favouring the rich and the powerful and ignoring farmers, Mr. Vinayachandra charged.

The sangh launched a month-long dharna in all taluks from September 5 against the handover of land of poor farmers for SEZs, he said and urged the Government to fix a profitable price for all crops. But the Government had not yet responded.

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