Farmers to meet in Delhi on June 16

KOLHAPUR: After pressing the state government for a loan waiver, farmers are now planning to organise a pan-India agitation to pressurise the Union government to implement the recommendations of the 2006 Swaminathan Aiyar commission.
Leader of Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana and MP Raju Shetti said farmers’ leaders from all states across the country will be meeting in Delhi on June 16.“We are in touch with farmers from other states and have decided to meet in New Delhi on June 16. All the major organisations representing farmers will come together and discuss the strategy to spread the agitation throughout the country at the same time to pressurise the government to accept our demands,” Shetti said. Maharashtra government last week agreed to waive off loans after farmers started an agitation for the same.
“Loan waiver to farmers was the first step of our agitation and we have achieved it. Our next step is to make the Union government implement the recommendations of the Swaminathan commission. This includes minimum support price at 50% above production cost,” he added.