Waive farmers' crop loans: Kurubur to Karnataka govt
Association President said the state is facing a severe drought since three years and farmers are unable to repay loans.
Bengaluru: The Karnataka State Sugarcane Growers’ Association has urged the state government to waive crop loans taken by farmers from co-operative societies.
Addressing mediapersons here on Monday, Association President Kurubur Shantakumar said the state is facing a severe drought since three years and farmers are unable to repay loans. The waiver of loans obtained from co-operative societies will not burden the state exchequer too much and will only cost around Rs 4,300 crore, he explained.
The Association also urged the state sugarcane board, which will meet on Tuesday to fix the sugarcane price for 2016-17 and wanted it to recommend to the government to announce Rs 3,000 as advance amount per tonne to sugarcane growers where the recovery is 9.5 per cent.
It said that the Union Government should announce a scientific, fair, remuneration price for sugarcane growers, since the price of sugar is Rs 4,000 per quintal. Mr Shantakumar also urged the government to decide on a scientific drought relief package for farmers.