Kodihalli requests govt to fix copra price at Rs 25,000 per quintal

NT Correspondent

Tumakuru: State president of the Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (a farmers’ association) and Hasiru Sene, Kodihalli Chandrashekhar, on Friday expressed his disappointment by claiming that the ruling party had failed to protect the interests of the farmers in the state.

The fall in copra (dried coconut) price has left coconut growers in Hassan, Tumakuru and neighbouring districts in “shock”, forcing them to hit the streets, seeking relief from the government, he said. “The farmers, after selling copra, are forced to leave without earning any profit," he alleged. Karnataka is one of the top coconut growers in the country.

A major chunk of copra grown in Karnataka is supplied to north Indian states. According to merchants, roughly 100 trucks carry copra from Karnataka every day to other states. Kodihalli demanded that the state government intervene and fix the selling price to at least Rs 25,000 per quintal to support farmers of the cash crop