Kozhikode, Friday, March 05, 2010: The Farmers Relief Forum has announced a hartal on March 12^th in protest against bank recovery actions and the anti farmer policies of centre.

Farmers Relief Forum state chairman AC Varkey informed that, the hartal is also against the state government’s neglect towards the demands of dairy farmers and Milma.

Wayanad has reported many farmer suicides during the last decade. According to official statistics, from 1999 to 2006 the district reported 371 suicides. Failure of crops, especially pepper, led to the crisis in the district. Wayanad accounts for around 22 percent of the pepper produced in the country.