Karnataka - Madikeri   

‘Announce package for coffee growers before November 15’

Madikeri: President of the Kodagu Growers Federation Katti Mandaiah on Tuesday urged the Union Government to announce a special relief package for coffee growers before November 15.

The federation would launch an agitation if the package was not announced by then, he said.

Addressing presspersons here Mr. Mandaiah said the growers were keeping their fingers crossed after the Union Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma announced in New Delhi recently that a debt and interest waiver package for coffee growers was on the anvil.

He regretted that coffee growers in Kodagu had not been paid compensation for the year 2007-08 in spite of suffering heavy crop loss owing to rain. Most of the growers were still in debt though coffee prices had recovered to a good extent, he said. However, a relief package was given to growers in a hobli in Chikmaglur district. Appeals made to the State Government through the Deputy Commissioner here some time ago seeking relief had not paid any dividend, Mr. Mandaiah said. President of the Virajpet taluk unit of the federation Adengada N. Ashok announced that Virajpet taluk growers meet would be organised at Gonicoppa on October 12.

The meeting would try to find solutions to the problems being faced by the growers such a loan waivers in nationalised and cooperative banks, price stabilisation of coffee, rain damage relief package, regular power supply to the district, elephant menace in plantations, fixation of wages to daily wage workers, especially during picking season, and menace of middlemen who brought workers from outside the district, among others, Mr. Ashok said.

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