Mangaluru, (The Hindu): Activists of the Karnataka Rajya Raita Sangha (KRRS) staged a protest in front of the office of Deputy Commissioner here on Monday urging the government to waive farm loans availed of by farmers from commercial and cooperative banks.

Addressing a gathering on the occasion, Ravikiran Punacha, president, Dakshina Kannada unit of the KRRS, said that the State government has now waived farm loans up to ? 50,000 taken from cooperative banks. But that was not enough. The entire farm loan availed of by farmers from all banks should be waived.

He said that the government declared two taluks — Bantwal and Mangaluru — as drought-hit for the first time, this January. It indicated the crisis faced by farmers. Agriculturists in other taluks too faced water scarcity, though the government formally did not declare them drought-hit.

Mr. Punacha said that the government should fix scientific rates for arecanut, coconut, cocoa, pepper and rubber. Now, the prices of farm produces were fluctuating.

He said that the government should purchase chali variety (white) arecanut at ? 25,000 per quintal. It should direct the Central Arecanut and Cocoa Marketing and Processing Cooperative Ltd. to procure it at the same rate by appointing it as the nodal agency.

He said that the government should purchase cocoa at ? 6,000 per quintal. It should establish a centre for purchasing the produce at the same rate. He said that the government should reserve ? 200 crore as revolving fund for purchasing rubber under the market intervention scheme of the government. The grower should get ? 17,500 per quintal of rubber. Rubber was being grown on 60,000 hectares in the State, he said.

Mr. Punacha said that the government should purchase copra at ? 25,000 per quintal. The government should set up procuring centres at the earliest to save farmers, he said.