By IANS,
Thiruvananthapuram : The Kerala government Wednesday announced a 12-point programme to end farmer suicides.
The programme follows recommendations from a committee which visited the hilly Wayanad district after four farmers committed suicide in the last 10 days.
Chief Minister Oommen Chandy told reporters here that all loans availed by farmers in Wayanad from government agencies would get a moratorium on repayment for one year.
“Those who have repaid on time will get a refund of 10 percent in the interest portion,” said Chandy.
The immediate reason for the crisis in Wayanad is a steep fall in the price of ginger, which fell from Rs.3,000 a bag to Rs.500, while the price of banana dropped from Rs.40 a kg to Rs.22.
In Wayanad, some 250 farmers committed suicide between 2001 and 2006.