GULBARGA: The Karnataka Pranta Raitha Sangha (KPRS) has urged the State Government to protect the interests of farmers and traders and withdraw its proposal to move the amendment to the APMC Act during the current Assembly session.

KPRS president Maruti Manpade, who is also the State secretariat member of the party, told presspersons here on Thursday that it was wrong to say that there was compulsion on the State Government to introduce the amendment. West Bengal, Kerala and Tripura governments refused to introduce the amendment that went against the interests of farmers and small traders, he said.

Once the amendment was passed, the State Government would not have any responsibility to provide relief to farmers by entering the market. They would then be at the mercy of multi-national companies and private entrepreneurs who would be allowed to purchase the produce directly from farmers either through forward trading or direct purchase through contract farming.

Bandh tomorrow

Supporting the indefinite strike by traders and merchant associations, he said the KPRS would participate in the bandh on January 27 and would chalk out the course of action at the meeting of the KPRS on February 2 in Bangalore.

He said food security would be the first casualty of the proposed amendment. Farmers would move away from the cultivation of foodgrains and pulses and shift to commercial crops, which would be the first preference of MNCs and private entrepreneurs.

The country, which was already facing a shortage of foodgrains and pulses, would be forced to depend on imports, he said.

Mr. Manpade said the control of the Government over stocking of foodgrains would go with the amendment and the private entrepreneurs and MNCs would have unfettered powers regarding storage, which would lead to artificial shortage and spurt in prices.

The contract farming proposed in the amendment would result in exploitation of farmers, Mr. Manpade said.

Strike is on

Meanwhile, trading at market yards of the APMCs in the district continued to be disrupted for the second day with all the traders and merchants downing shutters in response to the indefinite strike call given by the Hyderabad Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industry and other trade organisations, including Dal Mill Owners' Association and Foodgrains and Pulses Merchants' Association.

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