D.V. Sadananda Gowda came to limelight after he led a three-day “padayatra” from Sullia to Mangalore in December 2001 seeking minimum support price for white arecanut when its prices fell drastically.
Its prices crashed from Rs. 160 per kg in 1999-2000 to Rs. 40 per kg in 2001.
90km- yatra
The “padayatra” started from Sullia on December 13, 2001 and ended in Mangalore on December 15, 2001 after covering a distance of about 90 km. The team led by Mr. Sadananda Gowda halted overnight at Puttur and BC Road. He was a second-time MLA from Puttur Assembly constituency then.
Ramesh Kainthaje, a member of the committee which worked out the revised production cost of arecanuts for the Government last year, said that Mr. Sadananda Gowda became popular after the “padayatra”.
Successful
He said that the “padayatra” succeeded in drawing the attention of the Government and arecanut was considered for minimum support price later.
K. Monappa Bhandary, former president of Dakshina Kannada unit of the BJP, said that the “padayatra” gave a boost to Mr. Sadananda Gowda in his political career.
A.S. Bhat, Managing Director, Central Arecanut and Cocoa Marketing and Processing Cooperative Ltd. (CAMPCO), said that the Union Government declared Rs. 60 as minimum support price per kg of arecanut in 2002. CAMPCO was appointed as the nodal agency for procurement. The scheme was in force from September 2, 2002 to October 31, 2002.
Manchi Srinivasa Achar, president, All India Areca Growers' Association based in Puttur, said that Mr. Sadananda Gowda had been taking up the cause of arecanut growers in all platforms as he hailed from a family of arecanut growers.
Mr. Bhat said that Mr. Sadananda Gowda had served as the director in the Board of CAMPCO for three years from 1991 to 1994. He resigned later after he was elected to the Assembly from Puttur for the first time in the 1994 elections.
Fighter
Former president of CAMPCO S.R. Rangamurthy said that Mr. Sadananda Gowda had been fighting for the cause of arecanut growers in various levels of the Government.
Mr. Kainthaje said that the committee recommended Rs. 114 as the production of white arecanut a kg last year. Arecanut growers were expecting that Mr. Sadananda Gowda as Chief Minister would get the same price as minimum support price per kg of arecanut. The Government had declared Rs. 75 as minimum support price per kg of white arecanut last year.
