Campco President Kishore Kumar Kodgi has urged Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai to reduce GST on arecanut from 5% to 2%.
Kishore, while submitting a memorandum to the CM, on behalf of farmers, said, "Only co-operatives like Campco remit 100% GST to government. Thus, cooperatives are not in a position to provide justice to farmers as we have only 15% exposure in the entire arecanut market.”
He said Arecanut Research and Development Foundation (ARDF) had received financial assistance to the tune of Rs 1 crore from then Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa in 2009.
ARDF has been conducting research and holding machinery fairs in order to update farmers with the latest technologies. The government should announce financial assistance to the tune of Rs 5 crore to ARDF, he added.
The memorandum stated, “Arecanut plantations in Sullia, Koppa and Madikeri taluks had been destroyed due to prevalence of Yellow Leaf Disease. The farmers are devastated as they are unable to repay the loans due to huge losses. The government should waive farmer's loans availed from cooperative societies and extend financial assistance to farmers switching over to alternate crops. As an agriculture fungicide, Bordeaux Mixture is being consumed mainly by small growers. Thus, fixing the GST rate at 5% on all Copper Sulphate manufactured under CIB/FCO 1985 Licences used in agriculture will help the farming community to a great extent.”
Campco also urged the government to reduce customs duty on Carbon Fibre poles in order to help farmers become self-sufficient.