Farmers Should Be Given Special Package to Deal with COVID-19 Pandemic: Deve Gowda

Former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda has asked that the Karnataka government to announce a special package for the farmers who are on the verge of quitting agriculture as their profession following losses because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

He demanded the state government to announce special package for annadatta’s to bail them out of the loss caused by the nationwide lockdown.

In a letter to Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, Gowda said leave many of the schemes in the budget but do not leave the farmers in pain.

He said just like relief measures has been announced for the milk producers by purchasing the unsold milk and giving it to the slum dwellers, the same help should be provided to the farmers of the state.

Gowda cautioned that "If you don't come forward to help the farmers then they will be forced to sell their land”.

The former PM highlighted that the annadatta’s are on the verge of falling in the debt trap and could be compelled to take the extreme step of suicide because of the losses.

He added that farmers are not able to sell their crop as they are not getting proper price for their produce and they are selling their crop at a throwaway price to reduce their losses. Gowda said "In just 1 month farmers have reached the brink of insolvency as they are not able to sell their standing crops in lakhs of acres of land”.

To recall, on 3^rd April, Ex Prime Minister had appealed to Prime Minister to look into the plight of labourers, farmers and the middle class people due to the lockdown. He said that "In this crisis, we must see to it that there is no disruption in farm activities by ensuring proper marketing channels to agricultural produce, especially perishables. And only then we can sustain our long battle against this pandemic," the JD(S) supremo said in a tweet.