Addressing the gathering after inaugurating a library at JVS School as a part of its silver jubilee celebration and platinum jubilee celebration of the District Vokkaligara Sangha on Wednesday, he said that natural calamities at the farming stage and price fluctuations at the marketing stage are smothering the farmers, compelling them to resort to suicide, without any other option.

He opined that the government also comes to hand over the cheque of Rs 1 lakh or so hinting that this is the value of our farmers, which is wrong suggesting that government must  think beyond the monetary relief.

“Farmers across the State are unhappy. When coffee is lost farmers in Kodagu and Chikmagalur and doomed, when areca crop fails farmers in coastal belt are in trouble, when sugar cane is lost farmers in Mandya-Belgaum are in trouble and when potato crop is lost farmers in Hasan come out on streets to protest,” he said and added that many are migrating towards the cities in search for green pastures and if the same scenes continue then within next 15 years 50 per cent of the rural population will go far from farming.

Inaugurating the JVS Students’ Association building, Nadoja Dr D Javare Gowda said that globalisation needs to protect the farmers and not kill them.

Chief Whip in the State Assembly D N Jeevaraj said that associations like Vokkaliga Sangha must remain away from political influence.

Sangha President J P Narayana Gowda presided over the programme, Adichunchangiri Branch Pontiff Gunanath Swamiji blessed.

Former prime minister H D Devegowda laid the foundation stone for the Jyothinagara commercial complex.
MLC Puttegowda, former minister Tharadevi and others were present.