‘If the government decided to extend at least 5 per cent of the incentives given to industrial sector to agriculture sector, it would lead to a phenomenal change in farming sector.’

Mangalore : 

Arecanut growers belonging to various organisations have come together under a federation to fight for their causes.

Participating in the first meeting of the federation, Ravikirana Punacha, chief coordinator of the Federation of Karnataka-Kerala Arecanut and Coconut Growers’ Associations, said the arecanut growers are affected by various policies of the government and the vagaries of the nature.

In such a situation, the federation will fight for the causes of arecanut growers in Karnataka and Kerala.

The first meeting of the federation here on Wednesday urged the Centre to direct the banks to waive farm loans. Farmers with small land holdings are finding it difficult to repay their loans because of various reasons, Punacha said.

There is also a need for the government to set up an arecanut board to help the farmers, he said.

The arecanut plantations have been witnessing various diseases in the recent past. Naveen Karvane, representing Karnataka Rajya Raita Sangha from Sringeri, said the government should implement the report of the Gorakh Singh Committee completely.

The committee, which was constituted by the Centre, had suggested measures such as farm loan waiver in the case of arecanut plantations affected by diseases.

‘UNVIABLE’

Rohitaksha Rai, a farmer leader from Dakshina Kannada district, said that the arecanut cultivation has become unviable for many farmers as the growers have to pay high wages to the manual labour force. The shortage of labour is also adding to their problems.

If the government decided to extend at least 5 per cent of the incentives given to industrial sector to agriculture sector, it would lead to a phenomenal change in farming sector, he said.

M.G. Satyanarayana, vice-president of All-India Arecanut Growers’ Association, said an arecanut grower should be in a position to fix the price for his commodity. It is essential for the growers to think in that direction, he said.

Pradeep Kumar, a farmer from Sullia taluk of Dakshina Kannada district, suggested that the farmers should form a cooperative group or company of their own for the collective bargaining while buying inputs and while marketing their produce.

Some of the farmers suggested that they are ready to switch over from arecanut to other crops, provided the government gives them adequate compensation.

source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com / Business Line / Home> Industry> Agri-Biz / by The Hindu Bureau     vinayak.aj@thehindu.co.in / Mangalore – August 22nd, 2013