Daijiworld Media Network – Sullia (SP)

Sullia, Mar 14: A meeting of the farmers, political leaders and areca nut growers, organized at Sulia Taluk Agricultural Producers Cooperative Marketing Society hall on Saturday March 13, decried about the insufficient measures on the part of the government in protecting their interests, and expressed concern about improper implementation of the market intervention scheme. To bring the affected farmers together towards a better coordinated action, they formed Areca Nut Growers Welfare Forum.

The meeting decided to send thousands of farmers for the huge protest programme being held at Puttur on March 29, for pressing the government for their rights. They also expressed anger at the Central Areca Nut and Cocoa Marketing and Processing Cooperative Ltd (Campco)’s inept handling of the crisis.

Anna Vinaychandra, Swabhimani Vedike leader from Puttur, expressed concern about the declining prices of areca nut. He accused Campco, which he said, was set up for protecting the interests of the areca nut growers, of having been transformed into a puppet in the hands of  wholesale traders. “The government can not fix support price for areca nut, as it is not a food grain. However, it can help growers through market intervention scheme. The government should allow both Campco and Mangalore Agriculturists Sauharda Sahakari (MASS) to buy areca nut under this scheme. The Chief Minister has been improperly advised on this issue. We should take a delegation to him and bring pressure on the government to act through agitation,” he felt. He contended that the price fixed by the government for areca nut is not realistic.

Congress leader, M Venkappa Gowda, JD(S) district president, M B Sadashiv, district Congress vice-president, Nityanand Mundody, zilla panchayat member, Chandrashekhar Kamat and others offered various suggestions. M P Umesh was chosen as the president of the newly set up Areca Nut Growers Welfare Forum, while M D Vijaykumar became its secretary.