Ayyakannu demands profitable procurement price for agriculture products

Chennai: South Indian Rivers Linking Farmers Association leader Ayyakannu on Tuesday said 14 farmers associations throughout the country had been merged to fight for profitable procurement prices for agriculture products as per the recommendations of scientist M.S. Swaminathan.

The all India kisan committee would be headed by him and two farmers leaders from Hindi speaking states would be its convenors, he said. Ayyakannu said he had met Swaminathan who also promised to speak to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in support of farmers demands.

Ayyakannu who came to the Secretariat and met agriculture minister R. Duraikannu said Swaminathan committee recommended that the procurement price should be 50 per cent more than the expenses for production of agriculture products. He said he wanted to meet Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palanisami, but could not meet him, since there was no prior appointment.

The farmers leader said he met Duraikannu and gave a list of farmers demands including payment of arrears amount for sugarcane and stopping of auction of farmers lands by nationalised banks which had given loans to the farmers. He also demanded pension for all the farmers who are above 60 years.

Principal secretary Gagandeep Singh Bedi had already instructed the banks not to auction the farmers’ lands for loans, Ayyakannu said and added that the banks should be made to follow the instruction. Duraikannu promised to get an appointment of the Chief Minister within a week, Ayyakannu said and added that his association would take up a Gandhian form of protest if the Chief Minister refused to meet him in a week.

He also said the drought relief given to farmers should not be deducted from the wages of Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Schemes.