Kodagu Zilla Panchayat president B A Harish said the government should provide a subsidy of Rs 10,000 per acre of paddy field to provide encouragement to paddy growers who are drifting away from paddy cultivation.
Submitting a memorandum to Agricultural Minister BC Patil, he felt that paddy cultivation will help improve groundwater level.
He said the Krishidhara programme, directed towards providing equipment to the farmers, is being implemented in only three out of 16 hoblis of the district. The continuous flood and the current lockdown have severely hit the paddy growers. Therefore, the facility of agricultural equipment should be implemented in all hoblis, he urged the minister.
The office-bearers of Raitha Sangha and Hasiru Sene too met Patil and submitted a memorandum.
Raitha Sangha district president Kadyamada Manu Somaiah delineated the problems of the farmers and sought assistance from the government.
The farmers also urged the minister to take measures to clear the confusion related to khata and single RTC. "Revenue Adalat and Pauthi Khata Andolana should be conducted regularly. Scientific price should be provided to the farmers' produces, they added.
The current compensation provided for loss of crops due to fire and other accidents is meagre. It should be increased, the farmers said and added that the government should recommend banks to convert all types of loans, borrowed by the farmers, into long term loans.
Rajya Raitha Sangha and Hasiru Sene district unit general secretary Chetrumada Sujay Bopaiah, Secretary Ajjamada Changappa, district Convener Pucchimada Subhash Subbaiah and others were present.