Farmers in Mysuru fear that nearly 80 per cent of those with small and marginal agricultural land holdings in the State would give up agriculture over the government’s recent amendments to some legislations, particularly the Karnataka Land Reforms Act. The decision to allow non-agriculturists to buy agricultural land will pose a serious threat to farming, they have warned.
The changes to the Act would result in a situation that would seriously endanger those reliant on agriculture even as a large number of farmers are already working as farm labourers after having lost several hectares of cultivable land owing to various factors, said the Federation of Farmers’ Associations and the State Sugarcane Growers’ Association.
The farmers belonging to these associations on Saturday staged a demonstration at the Gandhi Square here blindfolding themselves, protesting against what they called the “anti-farmer” policies of the government. The stir was led by State Sugarcane Growers’ Association president Kurubur Shanthakumar. The protesters also opposed changes to the APMC Act. Farmers in Mysuru have been staging a series of protests since many days opposing the amendments.
While addressing the gathering, Mr. Shanthakumar said the issue does not concern farmers alone since the government’s moves would endanger food security and therefore the general public should raise their voice against such amendments, extending unequivocal support to the ongoing farmers’ agitations. “Our land is not for land” campaign was launched recently by the farmers to send a strong message that they won’t part with their lands to anybody.
“By way of bringing changes to the acts, the government is demolishing the principles of Gram Swaraj dreamt of by Mahatma Gandhi,” the associations said in a statement here.
Mr. Shanthakumar said that India had to import one crore tonnes of wheat from the United States in 1965 after it faced food shortage. “Such days should not recur now but the government’s actions will result in more cultivable lands going without farming, eventually threatening the country’s food security,” he warned.
