Demanding to set up district-level taskforces consisting of agricultural officials, experts and farmer representatives to tide over an impending drought situation in the State as rainfall received till June is just 180 mm, the State Kissan Congress on Saturday sent a 10- point charter of demands to the Chief Minister.
The demands also included making every revenue village a unit instead of a gram panchayat for crop insurance, bringing down the crop insurance premium from 2% to 1%, steady flow of water in all canal systems in right time, repairing the defunct lift irrigation points, ensuring steady electricity supply to the LI points, providing solar and diesel pump sets to famers at 90% subsidy, priorities in seed supply for non-paddy crops like maize, ragi and groundnut and uninterrupted supply of fertilisers to all gram panchayats.
Kissan Congress State president Amiya Pattanayak said the State receives 1,160 mm of rainfall during June to September, but this year because of the unfavourable monsoon, farmers apprehend a drought-like situation. Because of the irregular and insufficient rainfall, agricultural operations have been affected.
In such a situation, many farmers have started leaving their villages to work elsewhere, said Pattanayak.