The livelihood issues of farmers are yet to become a priority area in the mainstream media, Minister for Water Resources K. Krishnankutty has said.

Speaking after opening a seminar on ‘When farmers intervene in politics’ organised in memory of late journalist Jibin P. Mozhikkal here on Sunday, the Minister pointed out that even political parties were not keen on taking up farmers’ issues.

“Farmers do not have big political ambitions and do not aspire to be a part of the administrative machinery. For them, the priority is always agriculture and the income from farms,” said the Minister. Farmers’ concerns would get attention only if the media highlighted them, he added. While comparing the current income of government employees with that of farmers, the Minister said the revenue generated by a farmer from the field had gone down to unimaginable levels with the passage of time.

“The absence of a proper analysis covering the huge disparity in their income and the impact of the same on their families even affects the formation of policy-level decisions,” he added.

Referring to the imports promotional programmes of the Union government, the Mr. Krishnankutty said the liberalised rules would mainly hit the livelihood of farmers in the dairy sector. “The entry of multinational companies to India will definitely upset farmers who are yet to get a satisfactory return from the sector,” he added.

On measures taken to reduce the impact of water scarcity, the Minister said the District Collectors in the State had been asked to review the situation and respond in the most effectual way. “We have big concerns over the restriction of Cauvery river water following the recent verdict of the Cauvery tribunal. A State-level meeting will be convened to discuss the State’s concerns and measures to address the State’s demands,” he said.