As farmers have been severely hit during the 40-day lockdown, Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah on Thursday suggested to the government to procure fruits and vegetables directly from farmers and distribute them to the poor for free.

Unable to harvest summer crops owing to absence of buyers and transport facilities, growers of flowers, vegetables, and fruits have been hit hard during the lockdown. As many farmers are destroying crops, the government should come forward to purchase all horticultural produce and distribute fruits and vegetables to families living below the poverty line, the Congress leader said after a meeting with leaders of the Opposition and farmers’ organisations here on Thursday.

He said while residents of urban areas have been put to a lot of hardship owing to inadequate availability of fruits and vegetables, growers unable to transport produce and find find market. Many have destroyed a huge quantity of grapes and vegetables such as tomato, said Mr. Siddaramaiah, who had called the meeting to discuss problems being faced by farmers and unorganised workers during the lockdown.

KPCC president D.K. Shivakumar demanded that the government pay compensation of ₹10,000 for unorganised workers for the job losses. The RBI has not issued guidelines to banks on deferment of repayment of loans for three months. Bankers have been harassing small traders and self-employed people by asking them to repay loans, he alleged.

S.R. Patil, Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council; Satish Jarkiholi and Salim Ahmed, KPCC working presidents; K.R. Ramesh Kumar, chairman of the Congress task force on COVID-19; Bandeppa Kashempur, H.D. Revanna, Venkatrao Nadagouda, all JD(S) MLAs; Swathi Sundaresh of the CPI; M.P. Nadagouda of the JD(U); and Kurubur Shanthakumar and Kodihalli Chandrashekar, representatives of farmers’ organisations, attended the meeting.