Mysuru MP Yaduveer Wadiyar met Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in New Delhi on Thursday and submitted a request seeking a waiver of interest payable by the Kodagu Coffee Growers’ Co operative Society Ltd. to the Coffee Board of India.
During the meeting, Wadiyar highlighted the financial strain on the cooperative society and urged the minister to intervene in the interest of protecting small coffee growers.
He requested that the Centre consider waiving the interest dues in line with an assurance reportedly given in 2015. According to the MP, such a move would help safeguard the livelihoods of thousands of coffee growers and workers in Kodagu while sustaining a cooperative institution that has served the region for nearly seven decades.
Wadiyar also raised concerns regarding taxation issues affecting tobacco growers and other stakeholders.
He emphasized the need for a balanced policy approach that protects the interests and livelihoods of farmers dependent on the tobacco sector while ensuring regulatory compliance.
