The Karshaka Congress has accused the government of neglecting the paddy farmers in the State Budget. Karshaka Congress district president B. Iqbal said here on Monday that the Budget presented by the Finance Minister was a big disappointment for the farmers.
Mr. Iqbal said that the ₹100 crore earmarked for the development of paddy farmers was an eyewash, especially as the government refused to increase the procurement price of paddy.
He said expenses of paddy farmers had doubled in recent times, and that the government should have increased the procurement price. Instead, the government took away the percentage of price increased by the Central government. “The Budget failed to earmark any amount for a sustainable paddy development project,” he said.
Mr. Iqbal said the government cheated the farmers by turning a blind eye on the long-pending demands of paddy farmers. “The farmers have long been demanding that budgetary allocation be made for paddy procurement. It was totally ignored. Similarly, no fund was given to the rice park to be set up at Kanjikode,” he said.
