A State officebearers’ meeting of the Bharatiya Janata Party Krushak Morcha was held here on Thursday under the chairmanship of Morcha President Maheswar Sahoo.
Flaying the Government for its neglect of farmers of the 17 districts hit by the devastating cyclone and floods, the Morcha demanded that an assessment on crop loss be made and farmers be given adequate compensation. In the past as well, the Government in the name of announcing relief packages had betrayed the farming community, the Morcha leaders alleged, saying, the Government needs to properly assess the loss incurred on destruction of cattle, paddy, cotton, vegetables, sugarcane and fishery.
The Morcha has also demanded that the Central and State Governments waive the farmers’ loans and provide them with interest-free loans. The affected farmers should be given compensation of Rs 12,000 per acre and be provided with seeds, fertilisers and pesticides gratis for alternative cultivation. Besides, fish cultivators be provided with Rs 25,000 per acre and fishermen be given fishing nets free of cost.
If the farmers are not given compensation, on October 25, the Morcha will stage agitation before the Collectorate offices of the 17 affected districts, Sahoo warned. Morcha State in-charge Mahesh Mohanty, executive members Krushna Jagdev and Suresh Ch Bose, general secretary Jadumani Panigrahi and Hrushikesh Jena, and spokesperson Prabhakar Swain were also present.