The protest was organised by Karnataka Pradesh Red Gram Growers Association.

The farmers were protesting against the failure of the district administration to carry out a survey of crop loss and give compensation for the loss of standing kharif crops due to incessant rain in August and September.
The farmers have served one week’s ultimatum to the administration for payment of compensation failing which they have threatened to intensify their agitation.

The rasta roko, led by association’s state president Basavaraj Ingin, lasted for about three hours. Hundreds of vehicles were stranded on the road with traffic coming to a grinding halt for about two hours. Farmers shouted slogans against the government for its failure to come to their rescue.

The farmers withdrew their agitation only after Sedam Sub-Division Assistant Commissioner Kavita Manikar arrived on the spot and promised to carry out the survey within a week. Joint Director of Agriculture Thippeswamaiah was also present.

The association’s other demand is the implementation in toto of the report of Agriculture Commission headed by M S Swaminathan.

Addressing farmers Ingin said that Swaminathan report was very exhaustive, realistic and scientific and it addressed the basic issues of agriculture in the country. He came down heavily on the Union government for not acting on the report even a year after its submission.

He said the minimum support price for tur announced by the Union government was not at all realistic and was of no use to growers. He demanded an MSP of Rs 2500 per quintal of tur. Criticising the district administration and the agriculture department for carrying out the crop loss survey secretly, Ingin wondered why it was done secretly and not transparently.

Stating that moong, udad and tur had suffered heavy loss due to incessant rain, Ingin urged the authorities to immediately conduct scientific survey and pay due compensation.

He pointed out that tur was cultivated in about 35 lakh hectares in the country and in Gulbarga it was cultivated in about 3.5 lakh hectares. Although Gulbarga district alone contributed 10 per cent of total tur production of the country no programmes were taken up for the well being of tur crop and tur growers. The association submitted a memorandum separately to the governor and prime minister through the deputy commissioner.