BENGALURU, 21 MARCH

A delegation from the District Farmers' Struggle Committee recently met with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar in Bengaluru, requesting a relief package of ₹800 crore for the pigeon pea (Toor Dal) crops severely affected by recent adverse weather conditions.

Accompanying the farmer representatives were Legislative Council members N Ravi Kumar, Shashil G Namoshi, and others. Earlier, farmers, religious leaders, progressive thinkers, and APMC traders staged an overnight protest with bullock carts outside the District Collector's office, seeking compensation. Despite assurances from the District Collector, the government has yet to announce financial assistance, leaving farmers in distress.

According to a report from the Agriculture Department, heavy rainfall during the monsoon caused damage to crops across 19,865 hectares, including green gram, black gram, and soybean. However, farmer leaders contend that the actual affected area is about 50,000 hectares, claiming officials have misreported the data.

Additionally, widespread “wilt disease,” inferior seeds, and inadequate moisture have reportedly affected pigeon pea crops over 1.82 lakh hectares, with farmers asserting the real damage spans approximately 4 lakh hectares. In the past month, the crisis has tragically led to the suicides of over six farmers. The memorandum outlined specific demands like, Rs 800 crore in compensation for damaged crops, Government intervention in crop insurance, alleging discrimination by private insurers, A minimum support price of Rs 10,000 per quintal for pigeon pea, Rs 25 lakh compensation for the families of farmers who have died by suicide. Salar News