Karnataka - Hassan   

Coffee growers seek better deal

HASSAN: A delegation consisting of Karnataka Coffee Growers Federation State president N.K. Pradeep, general secretary H.T. Mohan Kumar, treasurer Teertha Mallesh and Chikmagalur District Coffee Growers’ Federation vice-president M.S. Lingappa Gowda, along with Chikmagalur MLA C.T. Ravi, met Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa on Thursday seeking implementation of various demands.

Mr. Pradeep and Mr. Mohan Kumar told presspersons here on Saturday that prices of coffee, which was a major commercial crop in the State, had crashed in the past five years on account of various natural calamities. Following the white bore pest attack, 40 per cent of the crop had withered away. In the past three years, more than 140 growers had committed suicide.

There were two lakh small growers, while as many as 15 lakh workers and their families were directly involved in coffee cultivation in Hassan, Chikmagalur and Madikeri districts.

Following the fall in prices, farmer were losing Rs. 15,000 an acre, they said and sought relief from the Prime Minister’s Vidarbha package and demanded that it be uniform for all coffee growers. They said the Coffee Board had classified growers holding up to 10 hectares as small farmers and those with up to 20 hectares as medium farmers and wanted the State Government to adopt the same classification for its scheme of waiving farm loans taken from cooperatives.

They also demanded that the Centre to waive the entire crop loan amount availed by them from commercial banks and that commercial banks be directed to offer them crop loans at an interest rate of 3 per cent. They said coffee growers required 2.5 lakh tonnes of complex fertilizer.

They also said that during the flowering season — from December to May — they had to use sprinklers and required three-phase power supply for 18 hours a day. They appealed to the Chief Minister to treat coffee growers on a par with other farmers and extend concessions accordingly.

They said that the Chikmagalur Deputy Commissioner had transferred 13,000 hectares of revenue land to the Department of Forests.

This land had been used for cultivation by small farmers for generations. If they were evicted, massive encroachments by the land mafia would take place.

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Coffee growers seek better deal

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