Rs. 8.5-crore for YLD affected farmers

BANGALORE: As a great relief to the distressed farmers of six districts in the state including Shimoga, Chickmagalur, Dakshina Kannada and Uttara Kannada,  Union government has released Rs. 8.5 crore towards disbursement of compensation to those who have lost Arecanut orchard following outbreak the of Yellow Leaf Disease (YLD). The fund which was released by the Center through the National Horticulture Mission (NHM) would be distributed to the farmers who have lost their arecanut orchard due to the outbreak of the disease.Addressing the media here on Wednesday Senior Congress leader and former Chairman, Karnataka Legislative Council, B K Chandrashekhar said that the fund released by the Center would be utilised to rejunavate or replace the senile arecanut palm.He said that under the scheme which would be implemented through the State Horticulture Mission (SHM) the affected farmers would get an amount of Rs. 30000 per hectare with a ceiling of two hectare which would be deployed to the YLD affected farm.He said that the NHM recommended to replace the disease affected arecanut with Banana, Clove, Blackpepper and other related plants. He further added that a Central study team which had visited the YLD affected districts in 2009 recommended the State and the Union government to waiver the farm loan availed by the farmers and also release funds to take up alternative crop.Expressing regrets that the financial institutions and banks from which farmers  availed loans, have started serving demand notices to repay the loan, the Congress leader demanded the Government to instruct the concerned authorities to desist it.“There are several incidents in which farmers have committed suicides following the action of the banks and the financial institutions” he said.He also urged the Union and State government to take measures to implement the recommendations of the Central Study team and initiate loan waiver scheme for the farmers who were hit by the  disease.“State and Central government can share the burden of the loan component equally” he opined.He said that there are also reports of the farmers who were badly affected by the disease and the loss of arecanut orchard has left their villages in distress and some have commited suicide. “Before the situation worsens, the Government should intervene immediately and take remedial measures” he suggested.Sachin Meega, former district youth congress president of Chickmagalur, who took up the issue and represented farmers of the six districts was present. He said that the rejunevation programme of the YLD arecanut farms have been included in the RHM programme for the year 2011-12.