Paddy farmers across the State will observe a black day on Thursday even as the government is celebrating the Farmers Day with a variety of programmes. The paddy farmers are protesting against the government’s failure to pay them for the paddy procured five months ago.
“Five months is a long period. Hardly could the farmers cope with the situation created by the government’s delay in making the payment for the paddy procured five months ago,” said Muthalamthodu Mani, president of the Desiya Karshaka Samajam (DKS).
Inaugurating a dharna here on Wednesday, Mani said that the government was not only cruel but insulting to the paddy farmers in the State. He said the government had discriminated the farmers in a cruel manner.
Mr. Mani said that in Palakkad district alone, the government owed ₹288 crore to the farmers for the second crop paddy procured months ago. “Most farmers had to borrow money to prepare for the main crop. Many farmers are struggling as they do not have money,” he said.
The Karshaka Congress too staged a hunger strike in front of the Collectorate here on Wednesday, protesting against the anti-farmer attitudes of both the State and the Union governments.
The protestors demanded that the government prevent the coconut price fall and fix a support price of ₹250 for rubber. They also raised the demand for payment of paddy farmers before Onam. The protestors sat symbolically in front of banana leaves.
KPCC general secretary Aryadan Shoukath inaugurated the protest. Karshaka Congress district president A.P. Rajan presided over the function.
Thousands of paddy farmers are expected to attend protest marches to be taken out across the district on Thursday. Different paddy farmer forums will lead the protests. A major protest will be held at Kuzhalmannam in the morning. Farmers from Kuzhalmannam, Kannadi, Kottayi, Kuthanur, Peringottukurissi, Thenkurissi, and Mathur will join the protest there.
The BJP said here that it would boycott the government’s Farmers Day programmes. The BJP will stage a protest in front of the Supplyco office here on Thursday expressing solidarity with the paddy farmers. BJP State general secretary C. Krishnakumar will inaugurate the protest.
