Opposition walks out of the Assembly, accusing the government of pushing farmers into debt and despair

Opposition leader said the farming sector faced several existential threats

Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) opposition walked out of the Assembly on Tuesday, accusing the government of pushing Kerala’s farmers into an abyss of irredeemable debt and despair.

Seeking an adjournment debate on the State’s crisis-ridden agriculture sector, Kerala Congress (Joseph) legislator Mons Joseph said the Left Democratic Front had gone back on its election promise to enhance State funding for the Rubber Production Incentive Scheme (RPIS) to guarantee farmers a minimum price of ₹250 for a kilogram of rubber.

Opposition Leader V.D. Satheesan said the farming sector faced several existential threats. The Indo-Pacific trade treaty would flood the market with imported rubber.

The Central government has further reduced the import duty for rubber by 10% to help tyre companies.

A consortium of tyre producers acquired 2.5 hectares of land in North Eastern India for large-scale rubber cultivation. The Centre’s replanting subsidy for rubber farmers was meagre.

He said mounting debt was a fact of life for farmers in Kerala. The price of fertilizer and pesticides has skyrocketed. Tea, pepper and cardamom rates have plummeted.

The government’s coconut and paddy procurement has failed. Vegetable and fruit farmers were also hard hit. Delayed payments by State-funded agricultural produce procurement agencies have forced farmers to lean heavily on loan sharks.