: Farmers’ Relief Forum (FRF), a farmer movement in the district, prepares to launch a series of agitations in protest against the alleged anti-farmer policies of the Union and State governments.
Addressing a press meet here on Saturday, Baby Zacharia, working chairman of the organisation, said the State government had increased the land tax from Rs.80 an acre to Rs.203 an acre
recently. But the compensation for the loss of agricultural crops in natural calamities had been reduced, he said. Earlier, farmers received compensation of Rs.100 for the loss of a banana plant in natural calamities, but now it had been reduced to Rs.1.45 a plant. There was similar sharp reduction with regard to all crops, including areca nut, pepper vines and rubber.
Such policies of the governments would adversely affect the farming community, which was already in a debt trap owing to the fall in prices of farm produce, including rubber, tea and ginger.
The FRF will organise a vehicle rally in the district from Thursday to Saturday to sensitise the farming community to the ground realities of the anti-farmer polices of the governments .
A.C. Varkey, State chairman, FRF, inaugurate the rally at Nadavayal in the district on Thursday.The mode of agitation would be decided later, Mr.Zacharia said.
