Mysuru: The Karnataka State Sugarcane Growers Association has decided not to support any political parties in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

Disclosing this to media persons at Pathrakartara Bhavan here yesterday, Association President Kuruburu Shanthakumar said that his Association has always kept aloof from identifying and supporting political parties including Congress, BJP, JD(S) and Swaraj India.

The Association has maintained distance from politics since its inception and is working for empowerment of farmers and rights of sugarcane growers across the country to find solutions for their problem.

He said a delegation of 20 farmer leaders will be meeting the heads of all political parties in New Delhi on Feb.27 and 28 urging them to include pro-farmer schemes, facilities, and programmes to end the agrarian distress across the country in their party manifestos, which will be brought out by them during Lok Sabha elections.

The farmer leaders will be pressing all political parties to implement M.S. Swaminathan Commission recommendations that include minimum support price for all farm products, creation of better marketing and cold storage facilities and providing loan to farmers land according to present market value.

The ryot leaders will also demand the political parties to give impetus for irrigation projects, to conduct the Special Parliament Session in South India to discuss the issues of farmers in threadbare and to create a Deputy Prime Minister post exclusively to deal with agriculture, horticulture, sericulture and other farmer-centric issues across the country.

Association State Organising Secretary Attahalli Devaraj, office-bearers Baradanapura Nagaraj, Kanakapura Ravi and others were present during the press meet.