KOLLAM: Kerala Pradesh Karshaka Congress Committee State president Lal Varghese Kalpakavadi has alleged that the Government has not initiated any step to mitigate the plight of the farmers in Kuttanad.

At a press conference here, along with senior general secretary of the Karshaka Congress K.G. Ravi, he alleged that during their visit to Kuttanad Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan and Minister for Food C. Divakaran did not meet farmers but met only their respective party cadres and came out with the version that all was fine there.

The Government was demanding that the Centre compensate the farmers, when it was the irresponsibility of the Government that caused their plight.

Mr. Kalpakavadi alleged that the State Government was by and large anti-farmer. He questioned the silence of the pro-Left farmers organisations on the Kuttanad situation.

Even though the Centre had in February declared Rs.3,620 as the floor price for mill copra, the Government began procurement only in April.

As a result, farmers were getting only Rs.3,200 in the market.

In other States, the value added tax on coconut oil was only one per cent and in Kerala it was four per cent. This disparity was harming the coconut farmers in the State.

The Karshaka Congress protested against the decision of the Centre to slash the import duty on palmolein. Mr. Kalpakavadi said that the decision would spell doom for coconut farmers. He urged the Centre to revoke the decision.

Mr. Ravi alleged that at a time when there was an acute shortage of farm labour in Kuttanad, the pro-CPI(M) Kerala State Karshaka Thozhilali Union (KSKTU) was demanding heavy sum from farmers for using machines in farming operations.

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