Kerala - Palakkad   

Pinarayi for permanent corpus fund for farmers

Staff Reporter

PALAKKAD: Communist Party of India (Marxist) State secretary Pinarayi Vijayan has demanded that the Central and State Governments create a permanent corpus fund for providing support price to farmers affected by the crash in prices of agriculture produce.

Inaugurating a dharna of farmers organised by the Kerala Karshaka Sanghom in front of the Collectorate here on Monday, the CPI(M) leader alleged that the United Democratic Front (UDF) Government had done nothing to help farmers. Farm produce such as cardamom, coffee, coconut, pepper and paddy face unprecedented price crash and the State Government has failed to take up the matter with the Centre and stop their imports.

He blamed international agreements reached without examining their adverse effects for the crash in prices. Government officials enter into such agreements without discussing them in Parliament or with the State Governments concerned. Since crash in prices has become frequent there should be a permanent corpus fund to provide support price for agriculture produce.

He demanded that the Centre instruct banking institutions to write off the debts of farmers as in the case of industries.

He said the UDF Government had failed to bring to the attention of the Centre the suicide of a large number of farmers and get relief for the affected families.

N.N. Krishnadas, MP; A.K. Balan and V. Chenthamarakshan, MLAs; the CPI(M) State committee member M. Chandran; and CPI(M) district secretary P. Unni; participated in the agitation.

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