MP stages hunger strike seeking procurement price for farmers

Kodikunnil Suresh, MP, on Saturday, staged a one-day hunger strike in front of the Kuttanad taluk office in protest against the inordinate delay on the part State government in disbursing paddy procurement price to farmers. The strike was inaugurated by United Democratic Front (UDF) convener M.M. Hassan. UDF leaders and people’s representatives also joined the strike. The leaders alleged that the government, Kerala State Civil Supplies Corporation (Supplyco), and public sector banks were mocking farmers by delaying the disbursal of procurement price. The government has pushed farmers in Alappuzha, Kottayam and Pathanamthitta into a debt trap and thousands of them are facing property attachment threat from lenders, the leaders said.