From Our Special Correspondent

Daijiworld Media Network 

Bengaluru, Dec 6:The State government has decided to take out a delegation to the Centre for seeking extension of the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) crop insurance scheme to coffee. 

Deputy Chief Minister C N Ashwathnarayan and Tourism and Kannada and Culture Minster C T Ravi who attended a meeting of coffee growers at Karnataka Chitrakala Parishat in Bengaluru on Friday assured the growers that a delegation MPs and MLAs from the coffee growing three districts would be taken to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi shortly. 

Apart from seeking extension of PMFBY for coffee, the coffee growers are demanding waiver of Rs8,000 crore crop loans and grant of loans at three per cent rate of interest from all types of banks for coffee. 

The other demands of growers are: zero GST on pesticides, minimum support price (MSP) for coffee, and release of Rs 20 crore for Coffee Marketing Co-operative Ltd (COMARK) for marketing of coffee. 

A new Bill would be tabled in the coming session of the State legislature for providing on lease basis the government lands being cultivated by growers, the Deputy Chief Minister said. 

The climate change resulted in unseasonal rains, droughts and floods caused crop loss of 1.20 lakh tonnes valued at Rs2200 crore. 

A total of 619 hectares had been affected by landslides in five taluks of Chikkamagaluru district. 

The Karnataka Growers Federation (KGF), association of coffee growers of three districts released a “Status of India Coffee-2019” at a meeting of growers here on Friday. 

The State Government has also taken a decision for withdrawing all cases against farmers, Ravi said.