Kannur (Ker) | A Catholic Archbishop on Friday urged the Kerala government to come out with an exclusive budget for the agrarian sector ahead of the general budget to address the pressing issues being faced by the farmers in the state.

Addressing a programme here, Thalassery Archbishop Mar Joseph Pamplany urged Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to be ready to discuss the farmers' issue with the seriousness it deserved.

He also wanted the Left government to convene a special cabinet meeting to discuss the issues of the sector.

"The Chief Minister should be ready to present an agriculture budget before the presentation of the general budget to understand the issues being faced by the farmers in the state," the archbishop said.

Stating that farmers are ready to cooperate with any development projects, he, however, made it clear that they won't allow any official to touch their land if their properties have not received deserved price.

Pamplany had been in news recently over his statement that if the Centre promised to increase the rate of rubber procurement to Rs 300 per kilogram, BJP's dearth of an MP from the southern state would be addressed.

The Archbishop's statement had created ripples in the political waters of the state early this year.