Hundreds of farmers led by Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha blocked State Highway 23 in Sindhanur for almost three hours on Thursday demanding a scientifically fixed minimum support price for their crops.
They accused the Centre and the State Governments of ignoring farmers' issues and raised slogans against them.
Sindhanur is about 95 km from here. By 11 a.m., farmers from the five taluks of Raichur district and their representatives from Yadgir, Koppal, Ballari and other districts had gathered at Gandhi Circle and blocked it. The protest venue is on the road that connects Sindhanur with Raichur, Gangavathi, Koppal, Kushtagi and other major towns and cities. As such the traffic movement on these routes was disrupted for two-and-a-half hours.
KRRS president Chamarasa Malipatil alleged that both the governments and elected representatives were insensitive to farmers’ problems.
"Farmers in the state are going through tough times as the prices of their produce have dropped drastically in the open market. They are already hit hard by droughts and floods which have caused low yield. Now, the price crash has pushed them down further," he said.
Mr. Malipatil called upon legislators of all parties to raise their issue in the Assembly and Council during the ongoing legislature session in Belagavi. He hoped this would force the government to set up procurement centres in all APMCs for buying crops at a scientifically fixed MSP. He demanded an minimum price of Rs. 2,200 per quintal of paddy, Rs. 6,500 per quintal of cotton, Rs. 6,000 per quintal of red gram and Rs. 2,000 a quintal of pearl millet.
Farmers' leader Amaranna Gudihal said, "Successive governments are responsible for increased cases of suicides by farmers. Because of their anti-farmer and pro-multinationals policies the farmers of the country are either giving up farming or killing themselves."
Sindhanur MLA and Congress leader Hampanagowda Badarli visited the protest site and told the farmers that paddy procurement centres would be established within a day or two. "The government has set up an Agriculture Price Commission and a Cabinet sub-committee headed by T. B. Jayachandra. The government will announce MSPs based on the recommendations made by these two bodies," he said.
The protesters gave a patient hearing even as it started raining as former legislature and Janata Dal (Secular) leader Venkatarao Nadagowda addressed them.
