Hassan farmers demand drought declaration and relief for crop losses
Farmers in Hassan district staged a protest on Thursday, urging the Karnataka government to declare the district drought-hit and provide immediate relief. The demonstration, organised by the Karnataka Prantha Raita Sangha (KPRS), also demanded action against companies that allegedly supplied spurious maize seeds.
The protesters marched from the Hemavathi Statue to the Deputy Commissioner's office, where they held a dharna. They carried maize plants affected by downy mildew, locally known as Bilisuli, arguing that growers had suffered heavy losses due to the disease and that the seed-supplying firms should be held accountable.
According to the protesters, cultivation has been severely affected this year due to a rainfall shortfall. Against a sowing target of 2.86 lakh hectares in the district, sowing has been completed in only 91,534 hectares as of now, covering just 32% of the target. Similarly, potato sowing has been completed in only 10,000 hectares against a target of 45,000 hectares.
The farmers also alleged that crop insurance schemes have not benefited growers in recent years. Maize growers who paid premiums in previous years received no compensation, they said.
They demanded that the government conduct a proper survey to assess the crop loss and announce relief for the affected growers. KPRS district president H.S. Manjunath and general secretary H.R. Naveen Kumar led the protest.
