Groups of farmers protest in Belagavi

BELAGAVI: Chief minister HD Kumaraswamy met a delegation of farmers headed by Kodihalli Chandrashekar on Monday and urged them not to worry over dues. Chandrashekar had spearheaded protests outside the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha over nonpayment of dues to sugarcane farmers and the lack of redressal of farmers issues.

Kumaraswamy urged farmers to adapt to new technologies to store their produce. He also arranged a demonstration of vacuum packing technology by experts to increase the shelf life of all farm produce by up to 10 years. However, the delegation was told that the vacuum packaging mechanism cannot be used for the three major cash crops of sugarcane, tobacco and cotton.

Chandrashekar said the chief minister had promised to announce a scheme for vacuum packaging in next year’s budget. He said if the facility is in place, farmers can take their produce to the market and can bring it back if they are unhappy with the price. They can then pack it for a nominal fee, store it and bring it back to the market at a later date.

Meanwhile, outside the deputy commissioner’s office in Belagavi, sugarcane farmers’ association leader Kurbur Shanthakumar and his faction continued their protest, citing the state government’s inability to resolve the crisis regarding their crop.

“Our basic demands are the government clears the Rs 619 crore dues to sugarcane farmers, ensure the FRP is clearly ex-field and extend the farm loan waiver to sugarcane crops,” said Shanthakumar.