Don’t commit suicide, we will help you: CM Siddaramaiah to Karnataka farmers

MYSURU: Jolted by a string of suicides by farmers in distress, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday appealed to them not to resort to such extreme means, and assured that his government would respond to their problems and extend all help and support to the community.

He told the media that farmers who end their lives would only add to the burden of their kin. “I was born in a farmer’s family, in a village, and understand their problems. They should remember that the government will always be with them, and will respond to their problems. We are here to extend all help and support. Apart from the sugarcane crisis, we will sit with farmers and take measures to resolve their problems.”

When asked whether the state government failed to implement the fair and remunerative price (FRP) payable by managements of sugar factories, he said “the Central government fixes FRP for sugarcane. When the price of sugar falls, they have to come to the rescue of farmers, but in turn they ask the state to recover the arrears that factories owe to farmers. When Mr Ram Vilas Paswan came to Bengaluru, I told him that there is a difference of Rs 400 between price of sugar price and FRP, and that they should bear the difference amount.

The Union government should come to the rescue of farmers of the state. They should help them export, or create buffer stock and take such other measures to help them. They cannot remain indifferent as though they are in no way concerned about it.”

On the state government’s role, he said “the state government has paid as much as Rs 1173 crores to sugarcane growers in 2013-14, with Rs 350 for each ton of sugarcane, Rs 100 as subsidy, Rs 100 fixed by government and an extra amount of Rs 150. Presently, there is a sugar stock worth Rs 6,000 crores. We have now seized it. We will auction it and clear the arrears of farmers.”