IICD demands compensation to cucumber farmers

Puducherry, Apr 5 (UNI) Puducherry-based Indian Institute of Community Development (IICD) has urged the Centre and the Kerala Government to adequately compensate the farmers in Kerala who suffered loss from the harvest of bitter cucumber, by the end of this month.

In a letter to Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, a copy of which was send to Kerala Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan, IICD Chairman Vasudeva Raju pointed out that the farmers of Vellanad in Kerala had purchased cucumber seeds developed by the Agriculture Research Centre at Kayamkulam and the produce turned out to be bitter.

Mr Raju said he had highlighted the matter at the two-day national-level consultation with panchayats on operationalisation of National Policy for Farmers-2007 and it was termed as ''inexcusable.'' UNI PAB SJ 1801