<p>Thiruvananthapuram: Strongly flaying the Centre's directive to stop the additional incentive bonus being provided by <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/india/kerala/1">Kerala</a> to <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/paddy-farmers">paddy farmers</a>, Chief Minister <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/pinarayi-vijayan">Pinarayi Vijayan</a> asked whether it was part of opening up the Indian market to agricultural products from the US.</p><p>"The Centre's directive to Kerala to stop the incentive bonus being given to the paddy farmers citing that it would lead to a burden for the exchequer was quite surprising. The centre should clarify whether it was part of initial moves to open up the Indian market to American agricultural products as part of the Indo-US trade agreement," Vijayan said in a statement on Sunday.</p><p>The CPM senior leader also said that the fresh directive reflects the anti-farmer stand of the Centre. "Those who are writing off huge debts of corporates are terming the bonus to farmers as a huge burden," he said.</p>.Paddy hoarding, price rise force Karnataka rice mills to halt operations.<p>Kerala government is giving the incentive bonus above the minimum support price being fixed by the Centre. The state is giving additional Rs 6.31 per kg, he said.</p><p>Union finance expenditure secretary had sent a letter to the Kerala chief secretary the other day directing that the additional incentive bonus need to be stopped as surplus paddy production could become a burden for the exchequer on account of storage costs.</p><p>Farmers in the state are also upset over the Centre's stand. </p><p>Thrissur District Kole Karshaka Sangom leader Kochu Muhammed said that it was with such incentives that the paddy farmers were somehow managing to take forward the cultivation. </p><p>"Many states are offering such additional incentives to farmers to meet the higher farming costs involved, especially the labour costs. Such incentives are essential to sustain cultivations, " he said.</p>
<p>Thiruvananthapuram: Strongly flaying the Centre's directive to stop the additional incentive bonus being provided by <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/india/kerala/1">Kerala</a> to <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/paddy-farmers">paddy farmers</a>, Chief Minister <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/pinarayi-vijayan">Pinarayi Vijayan</a> asked whether it was part of opening up the Indian market to agricultural products from the US.</p><p>"The Centre's directive to Kerala to stop the incentive bonus being given to the paddy farmers citing that it would lead to a burden for the exchequer was quite surprising. The centre should clarify whether it was part of initial moves to open up the Indian market to American agricultural products as part of the Indo-US trade agreement," Vijayan said in a statement on Sunday.</p><p>The CPM senior leader also said that the fresh directive reflects the anti-farmer stand of the Centre. "Those who are writing off huge debts of corporates are terming the bonus to farmers as a huge burden," he said.</p>.Paddy hoarding, price rise force Karnataka rice mills to halt operations.<p>Kerala government is giving the incentive bonus above the minimum support price being fixed by the Centre. The state is giving additional Rs 6.31 per kg, he said.</p><p>Union finance expenditure secretary had sent a letter to the Kerala chief secretary the other day directing that the additional incentive bonus need to be stopped as surplus paddy production could become a burden for the exchequer on account of storage costs.</p><p>Farmers in the state are also upset over the Centre's stand. </p><p>Thrissur District Kole Karshaka Sangom leader Kochu Muhammed said that it was with such incentives that the paddy farmers were somehow managing to take forward the cultivation. </p><p>"Many states are offering such additional incentives to farmers to meet the higher farming costs involved, especially the labour costs. Such incentives are essential to sustain cultivations, " he said.</p>