Farmers’ organisations under the Left Democratic Front (LDF) in the district will organise various programmes in connection with a Statewide dawn-to-dusk hartal called by the front on April 8.
The hartal is being organised in protest against the alleged anti-farmer polices of the State government.
Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday, C.K. Sahadevan, district president, Kerala Karshaka Sanghom and Ambi Chirayil, district secretary, All India Kisan Sabha, said the farmers’ organisations would organise vehicle campaigns on April 6 and observe a protest day on April 7 in connection with the hartal.
The price of all farm produce, including coffee, pepper and paddy, was declining drastically in the market owing to the policies of the State and the Union governments, Mr. Sahadevan said.
Though the farm sector was facing huge losses, the government had hiked the electricity charge for agriculture purposes, he said.
The leaders demanded steps on a war-footing to tackle the increasing man-animal conflict in the district, a stop to all revenue recovery proceedings on farmers’ loans, and intensification of measures to combat the spread of the Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD or monkey fever).
‘Election stunt’
However, leaders of independent farmers’ organisations, including the Farmer Relief Forum and the Harita Sena, alleged that the hartal was an election stunt.
