'Waive interest on agri loan'

A farmers delegation to meet Chief Minister

A delegation will meet Chief Minister to request him to waive interest on agriculture loan and to provide interest-free loan upto Rs 10 lakh, said Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha and Karnataka Growers Association.

Addressing a press meet, Raitha Sangha district President D R Duggappa Gowda and Growers Association Convenor K N Manoj Kumar said that B S Yeddyurappa had announced crop loan at the rate of one per cent interest, when he was the chief minister.

D V Sadananda Gowda had withdrawn the facility, thus putting the farmers to hardship. The delegation will meet Jagadeesh Shettar and will appraise him of the farmers condition in the district. The CM will be asked to waive interest on agriculture loan.

“With the deficit rainfall, the agriculture activities have come to a halt in Malnad and plateau region. The already sown seeds have been damaged. With lack of rainfall, no agriculture activities could be taken up in Malnad. The government should declare Chikmagalur district as drought hit district,” they said.

As the farmers are not able to take up the work on paddy harvesting, the farmers will face problem in the future. The deficit rainfall will affect coffee, arecanut, cardamom, and pepper production in the state.

The coffee is affected with white borer disease, they said.

Gowda said that the government should intervene and declare all the taluks in the district as drought-hit taluks. The loans borrowed by the farmers should be waived off.

Raitha Sangha district working president B C Dayakar, Mudigere taluk president K P Nagesh, and others were present.