Palakkad farmers disappointed over Budget snub

Farmers in Palakkad expressed disappointment over the State Budget as it ignored the persistent demand for an agricultural package for the district, even as it considered Kasaragod, Idukki, Wayanad, and Kuttanad.

The Budget also did not meet the farmers’ demand for allocation for paddy procurement. “This is a clear indication that the farmers will have to wait a long duration for the price distribution of procured paddy,” said Pandiyodu Prabhakaran, general secretary of the Desiya Karshaka Samrakshana Samiti.

“The Budget says nothing about making functional the rice mills currently lying idle in the State, and about reopening the rice park at Kanjikode. It says nothing about the Farmers Welfare Board lying inactive, and about implementing the V.K. Baby Committee Report that had studied paddy procurement in detail,” Mr. Prabhakaran added.

Industrial Smart City

Although 1,350 acres of land were acquired out of the total 1,710 acres required for the development of the Palakkad Industrial Smart City as part of the Kochi-Bengaluru Industrial Corridor, the Budget did not specify any fund allocation for it.