Meega urges CM to waive areca growers, farmers' loan

Kisan Khet Mazdoor Congress President Sachin Meega has demanded Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to loans of arecanut growers and other farmers, besides taking a call on burning issues in the district.

In a press release, Meega, who a submitted a memorandum to the chief minister in Bengaluru recently, said the state government should submit a proposal to the Centre seeking loan waiver of arecanut growers taking into cognisance the recommendations of Gorakh Singh Committee report.

The Centre should also be apprised of the urgency to submit the recommendations of Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI) finding arecanut healthy to the Supreme Court, he said.

Besides, the Centre should be impressed upon waiving 50% of the loans advanced by various nationalised banks to farmers, besides taking a call (by the state government) on loans advanced by cooperative banks. The conditions related to national crop insurance scheme should also be modified to individually benefit farmers, he demanded.

Meega stated that he has also demanded that deadline to avail benefit of waiving interest on loan amount should be extended to March 2017 as against September 2016. Farmers who have repaid principal loan amount are entitled for the benefit.

The cooperative banks should be directed to furnish related documents to farmers at the earliest. The farmers cultivating arecanut and coconut should be given scientific support price. The chief minister should also camp at Yamanur at least for a day to lend hear to the grievances of farmers related to Kalasa Banduri row, he stated.