Karnataka: The Federation of Farmers Organisations and members of the State Sugarcane Growers Association has demanded an upward revision of compensation provided for crop losses under the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF), reports The Hindu.
The farmers, under leadership of Kurubur Shanthakumar, urged the Central government to increase the compensation for losses caused by natural calamities such as heavy rains and floods. Shanthakumar said the current relief amount was inadequate and did not even cover the input costs. He announced that farmers across the State would stage protests on October 24 to press for their demands.
He said the method used to calculate compensation under the NDRF was unscientific and called for a review based on actual field conditions. “The Centre should revise the norms and immediately announce a special package for farmers in Kalyana Karnataka and North Karnataka, who have suffered heavy losses due to the recent floods,” he said.
The meeting also discussed the financial distress faced by farmers because of continuous rains, with members urging the government to waive crop loans to ease the burden on affected cultivators.
Shanthakumar added that the State Advisory Price (SAP) for sugarcane should reflect the true cost of cultivation, which he pegged at ₹3,700 per tonne. “We have already informed the Commission on Agricultural Costs and Prices about this, and the State government should announce an SAP of ₹3,700 per tonne,” he said.
The farmers also raised concerns about the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for paddy, set at ₹2,369 per quintal. Calling the rate unscientific, they demanded an additional ₹500 per quintal as incentive and urged the government to open paddy procurement centres immediately.
The federation announced that World Farmers’ Day will be observed on December 23 in Kalaburagi, where a State-level farmers’ convention will be held. Ten farmers will be honoured during the event for their contributions to agriculture.
Over 200 farmers attended the meeting, including representatives from Hasiru Sene and other organisations.
