Farmers to launch 'Jail Bharo' prog on sugarcane MSP issue

Bangalore, Feb 16 (UNI) Sugarcane growers in Karnataka will launch a massive 'Jail Bharo' programme from Monday, if talks on the issue of fixation of Minimum Support Price (MSP) for sugarcane with the state government fails, State Farmers Association president K S Puttannaiah said today.

Addressing mediapersons here, he said the state government had failed to solve the problems faced by the sugarcane growers for the last ten months.

The farmers associations, demanding the announcement of Statutory Advisory Price (SAP) for sugarcane, has also urged the state government to withdraw the purchase tax levied on farmers for the sugarcane supplied by them to the factories.

Blaming both the State and the Union governments for the plight of cane growers, Mr Puttannaiah alleged that main political parties were shedding 'crocodile tears' for the sufferings of the farming community badly hit by agrarian crisis.

Announcing that all farmers associations in Karnataka had decided to come under one platform and fight for the cause of farmers, he said a convention of farmers was also planned by the association shortly to highlight the problems faced by them.

Farmers leaders, including Basavaraj Thambake, Kodihalli Chandrashekhar, were among those, who were present at the press meet.

UNI MV RS ROY PY BST1646