COCONUT GROWERS TOO WILL BE FORCED TO COMMIT SUICIDE




Farmers and agricultural labourers from Kerala have reached the

national capital today to stage a dharna (sit-in) in front of our

Parliament demanding Rs 1,000-crore package to protect the agriculture

sector in the state. Hundreds of volunteers representing both the

Lerala units of AIKS and BKMU will assemble at the Kerala House

premises on October 31, that is tomorrow, and march towards the

Parliamnet House.



The coconut growing farmers are facing an unprecedented crisis. At

present, a single coconut does not even fetch Rs 3 (three), where as

till recently it used to cost Rs 10(ten) for a coconut. Also there is

no definite market available even for that distressed sale. Also those

days rice used to cost about Rs 4-5 for a kilogram. Now one has to

shell out around ten coconuts to fetch one kg of rice. Even though

NAFED has announced that it would procure copra at Rs 5,100, it never

happened. Now that the situation has worsened the Kerala units of AIKS

and BKMU demand that copra should be procured by paying Rs 7,000 to

tide over the crisis. The Kerala units also demand that de-husked

coconuts should be procured at Rs 3,000 per quintal.



Similarly, the market for coconuts and coconut oil also needs to be

expanded. All controls on exports should be removed with immediate

effect. Also, the domestically produced coconut products including

coconut oil must be exempted from all taxes. The subsidy of Rs 15

(fifteen) given to palmolein oil should also be made available to

coconut oil. The crisis being faced by the coconut growers has reached

an explosive situation that there is no option for them but to commit

suicide.



In the state 71 farmers had already committed suicide. Report of

suicide incident is heard daily. It may be noted here that these many

suicides have taken place during the past 15 months. In Wayanad alone

34 farmers have committed suicide. Till date no step has been taken to

protect the unfortunate families of those farmers forced to commit

suicide.



Even the paddy cultivators in the state are facing a severe crisis.

The central government gives only Rs 950 for a quintal of paddy. In

this crisis-ridden situation, the central government must procure

paddy from Kerala farmers at an enhanced special price of Rs 2,500 for

a quintal. Special packages announced for Kuttanad, Wayanad and Idukki

need special financial support from the central government for their

proper implementation.



Thus special measures are required to improve paddy cultivation in the

state. The state’s Kole farms, Pokali farms, Kari Nila farms and

Palakkad and Kuttanad paddy-growing cultivating areas have to be

provided with special assistance for improving the cultivation there.

Also, though the government gas declared various districts as

drought-hit areas, till date no financial aid has been extended.



Employment guarantee scheme in the state must be linked to agriculture

sector too. The numbers of days of employment that has to provided

must be raised to 200 (two hundred) along with hiking the wage to Rs

300 (three hundred).



The central government has to enact a special central legislation to

protect our farmers and agricultural workers all over the country. The

government must also fix a national minimum wage for agricultural

labour. It is to highlight the plight of farmers along with the above

demands well as to pressurize the UPA-II government at the Centre that

AIKS and BKMU leaders and selected members from Kerala are taking part

tomorrow in a March to Parliament.



We appeal to one and all to support our just demands and put pressure

on the central government to accept these demands.



Satyan Mokheri

General Secretary

AIKS, Kerala State Council

(M) 09447317669