Members of some farmers’ associations continued their protest against a private farm produce market in Belagavi for the second day on Friday.
They shouted slogans against the government for allowing the private market and alleged that it was causing huge losses to the APMC and that farmers were not being given a fair price. They demanded that the Jai Kisan Vegetable Merchants’ Association Market be closed immediately. They said they would continue to protest till the market was closed. They alleged that APMC members and officials had colluded to hatch a conspiracy, leading to the setting up of the private market in violation of rules.
Promoters of the private market had illegally got the conversion of farmland done in the name of a dead person, they alleged. Also, the promoters had bribed the APMC authorities for allowing them to set up the market, they alleged. Several rules were violated for setting up the market, they said. Sidagouda Modagi, Krishik Samaj president, and others led the protest. Members of Krishik Samaj, Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha, and Hasiru Sene were present.
Meanwhile, Satish Jarkiholi, KPCC working president, said he would open a third farm produce market in Belagavi to protect farmers from exploitation by middlemen. “Several farmers who sell their produce in the traditional APMC and trading agents who have shops in the APMC yard are our followers. They were depended on the APMC all these years. We will set up another market that will provide them remunerative prices, and protect them from exploitation, if need be,’’ he said.
