The Janata Dal (Secular) would launch a state-wide protest in all the district headquarters on December 5 protesting against the failure of the state government to solve the problems faced by the farmers and failure to announce the procurement prices of the major crops in the state.
District President of the JD(S) Basawaraj Tadkal told presspersons in Kalaburgi on Wednesday that the agitation by the party would be to highlight the problems faced by the farmers in the respective districts.
In Kalaburagi, the party workers would stage protest march and demonstrate before the Deputy Commissioners office on December 5 demanding immediate announcement of the procurement price for the Red Gram and the State Administered Price (SAP) for Sugarcane.
Mr. Tadkal said that the delay in the announcement of the procurement price of the Red Gram, which would be harvested in the fourth week of December and the fresh stocks start arriving in the market in the first week of January, was causing consternation among the red gram growers. Early announcement of the procurement prices would pre-empt the fall in the prices of the Red Gram which happens every year at the time of fresh arrival of harvested red gram.
The government besides announcing the procurement price over and above the MSP fixed by the central government, should also start the procurement centres at all the hobli-levels to enable the farmers to sell their produce directly at an assured price at the procurement centres.
Mr. Tadkal said that the state government has also failed in its duties to announce the State Administered Price (SAP) for the Sugarcane even after the sugar factories have started the crushing operations and the sugarcane growers were forced to supply cane to the factories without knowing the price they would get.
The government has also failed the sugarcane growers by not forcing the sugar factories to pay the dues to the sugarcane growers for the cane supplied during 2014-15 to the factories.
He said that if the state government fails to respond to the demands of the party, the agitation would be further intensified and the party workers would stage dharnas and processions at Hobli-level throughout the state.
