Coffee growers stage dharna, plan ‘black day’

Coffee growers stage dharna, plan ‘black day’
04-08-2009

MADIKERI – Members of the Kodagu Growers Federation, on Monday, staged a demonstration in front of the Deputy Commissioner’s office here demanding relief from the Union Government for the coffee crop loss suffered Due to excessive rainfall in 2007-08 and also during this monsoon. They were led by the working president of the federation, Katti Mandaiah.

Addressing the members, Mr. Mandaiah alleged that over 14,000 growers had filed applications with the district administration in 2007-08 seeking relief from the Union Government, through the State Government, but to no avail.

Two senior officials from the Union Government were deputed to inspect the losses. The Coffee Board had stated that loss had occurred to crops in more than 20,000 hectares in Kodagu. However, growers did not get relief, he said.

Mr. Mandaiah said that compensation of Rs. 1.37 crore was recently disbursed to a hobli in Chikmagalur district. Growers there were now demanding that the principal and the interest over loans be waived for 2009-10. Why was Kodagu growers left to fend for themselves? he asked.

Deputy Commissioner K.H. Ashwatha Narayana Gowda, who received a memorandum, said that clarifications had been sought from his office earlier to know the reasons for the delay in payment of compensation to growers in Kodagu for 2007-08. He would clarify the issue to the growers within a week.

The president of the Srimangala Hobli Coffee Growers Association, who submitted a memorandum to Mr. Gowda, threatened to observe ‘black day’ on August 15, if the Government continued to ignore their appeals.

The president of the association, Kalimada Thammu Muthanna, has in a statement said that Kodagu should be declared as ‘excess rainfall district’. Mr. Muthanna said that the Union Government had waived loans and interests of the growers obtained from the Coffee Board three years ago when the growers were facing a crisis following the crash in the prices.

However, loans taken from commercial banks were left untouched. The Government should waive all loans and interests in view of the crisis now, he said. The district administration should conduct a survey to submit reports to the  Union and the State Governments immediately, he said.

Meanwhile, the district secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), I.R. Durgaprasad, in a statement here on Monday, extended support to the demands of the Srimangala Hobli Coffee Growers Association, saying they were genuine.

Price fluctuations in coffee, pepper, paddy, ginger had affected the small and marginal growers in the district, who accounted for nearly 98 per cent.

The Union and the State Governments should come to the rescue of the growers, Dr. Durgaprasad said. Though Rs. 6,000 per hectare was announced as compensation for growers during 2007-08, nothing had been paid in Kodagu, Dr. Durgaprasad alleged.

The growers in the neighbouring districts (Chikmagalur and Hassan) had received relief, he said. It spoke of the partisan attitude of the Government, he remarked. The CPI(M) would expect elected representatives from Kodagu to support the ‘genuine demands’ of the growers, Dr. Durgaprasad said. However, the growers should drop the proposed ‘black day’ on August 15 as it symbolised the supreme sacrifice of the farmers, workers, students and youth of the nation.