The four major farmers’ organisations have raised a banner of revolt against the new policy on market intervention announced by the Central government.
The four organisations include, Karnataka Pranta Raita Sangha (KPRS), Karnataka Rajya Raita Sangha (KRRS), All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) and Karnataka Red Gram Growers Association (KRGGA).
Terming the decision of the BJP-led NDA government at the centre as “blatantly anti-farmer”, the leaders of these organisations have accused the government of pursuing these policies to help the corporate bodies and MNCs, which have entered the field of marketing the agriculture produce in the country.
State President of the KPRS Maruti Manpade, President of the KRGGA Basavaraj Ingin and AIKS secretary Moula Mulla told presspersons in Kalaburagi on Sunday that the Union government, which said it supported only the market intervention of the foodgrains supplied in the Public Distribution System (PDS), has gone one step further and had asked the State governments not to announce incentives over and above the Minimum Support Price (MSP) fixed by the Union government to all the agriculture produce.
They said that the Union government has also asked the State governments to desist from procuring the agriculture produce on their own by offering higher incentives above the MSP fixed by the Union government. Further a threat has also been held out to all the state governments that the union government would cut the general grant given by the union government to the states in agricultural sector if they violated the directions of the central government on procurement of agriculture produce.
Mr. Manpade said that since agriculture was a state subject, the State government should protest against the unwarranted intervention of the Central government.
A delegation from the organisations will meet Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in Belagavi on Tuesday and urge him to protest against the policies of the Central government. “We will urge the Chief Minister to hold a dharna in New Delhi protesting against the intrusion of the Central government into the rights of the State government”.
They announced a two-phased agitation demanding the Union government to withdraw its decision on the procurement of the agriculture produce and demanding the State government to announce the procurement prices for the Red Gram and Sugarcane immediately and allocate a minimum of Rs 10,000 crore as revolving fund to enable the timely intervention in the market to stabilise the prices of the agriculture produce.
The farmers’ organisation would stage a dharna in Kalaburagi, Raichur, Bidar, Bijapur, Yadgir and Koppal district headquarters in the first phase while in the second phase they will organise a bandh in 22 taluks which cultivated red gram in the region.
The dates of the first and second phase agitation would be announced on December 16 after meeting with the Chief Minister at Belagavi.
