JOIN USFarmer activist Narasimha Nayak Theerthalli said the suicide of farmers cannot be controlled if the government does not take measures to prevent it immediately.
Delivering keynote address here at the ‘Raitha Samavesha-2016’, organised by Udupi district Krishika Sangha, he said the recent phenomenon of farmers taking the extreme step is the result of the administrative mechanism’s failure to ensure occupation security. The farmers are distressed and finding it hard to cope with the situation and the debt has become an integral part of their lives. They do not have any other alternative than taking loans in case of crop loss, he claimed.
Nayak said about 1,000 case of farmers’ suicide have been reported in the State.
It is very disheartening and scary. If the issue is not addressed immediately, there may be a threat of mass suicide cases of farmers. Farmers have failed to pay back the loans they have availed and cooperative societies too are creating havoc in farmers’ lives, he observed.
Earlier, inaugurating the programme, Kaniyur mutt seer Sri Vidyavallabha Theertha Swami said agriculture is facing severe drought in terms of manpower and financial aid. Youth are migrating to urban areas. Scarcity of labourers is haunting the occupation which is the main source of country’s GDP, he said.
The seer said people behave ignorantly over struggles of farmers to grow paddy and other foodgrains. “We waste food for we do not have respect for the hardships of the farmers. Soldiers and farmers are the two precious icons of the country. Both sacrifice their lives to keep their countrymen safe and self-sustainable, he added.
Seminars on ‘Maintenance of Coconut and Arecanut Growth’, ‘Mechanisation in Production of Horticulture Growth’ , ‘Marketing and Value Addition for Agricultural Growth’, ‘Medicinal Plants and their Daily Use’, ‘Importance of Proteins in Horticulture Growth’, ‘Integrated Agriculture Pattern’, ‘Role of Media in Profitable Farming’, ‘Use of Bacteria in Jasmine Cultivation’, ‘Profitable Vegetable Growth in Coastal Belt’, ‘Local Breed Cattle and the Importance’, ‘Measures to Overcome Infertility among Cattle’ and ‘Use of Local Technology in Dairy Farming’ were held on the occasion.
Farmers M Bhaskar Shetty, Ucchila, Ravi Poojary Kurkalu, Anthappa Permapalli, Sampa S Bangera, Heerebettu and Janab Ali Abba from Ucchila were felicitated on the occasion.
An exhibition on farm machineries was organised to create awareness about them among farmers.
Rotary movers, edge trimmer, clippers, chisel, plow, tractor, cultivator spike, harrow seed drill, rice transplanter and combine harvester were among the exhibits.