Govt. could not go on without adequate protection to farmers: CM

Thiruvananthapuram, June 19 (UNI) Kerala Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan today said the government's main priority was to give adequate protection to farmers in the state.

The financial institutions in the state had extended support to farmers when their products, including coffee, rubber and coconut, had good price, he said.

''However, they do not come up when they need financial support during bad days,'' he added at a meeting with the co-operative banks on agriculture debt-relief measures here.

Blade mafias were solely responsible for farmers' suicides in the state and not the financial banking institutions which charged reasonable interest rate, Mr Achuthananan said.

The Chief Minister said the government had already taken various welfare measures for the farming community, including waiving of agriculture loan of Rs one lakh for those who committed suicide.

State Finance Minister T M Thomas Isac, Revenue Minister K P Rajendran, Agriculture Minister Mullekkara Ratnatakaran and Cooperation Minister G Sudhakaran also attended the meeting, the release added.

UNI CGV AK DB2307