Farmers seek higher procurement price for paddy from govt.

Demand establishment of procurement centres at taluk levels

The Federation of State Farmers Association has sought a higher procurement price for paddy from the State government.

At a meeting convened here on Thursday, H. Bhagyaraj, president of the association said that the government has fixed Minimum Support Price for paddy at the rate of ₹2,320 per quintal. “But we are seeking an incentive by way of additional ₹500 per quintal from the government so that it not only covers the cultivation cost but ensures that there was a reasonable profit margin for farmers,” he added.

The farmers demanded establishment of paddy procurement centres at taluk levels as well and Mr. Bhagyaraj pointed out that area under paddy cultivation across 20 districts was nearly 3 million hectares. The federation said the government should establish norms for paddy procurement without resulting in any hassles for the farmers and it should emulate the Telangana and Odisha model by paying an incentive of ₹500 per quintal.

The Federation drew the attention of the government to commencement of paddy procurement in a few other States without any conditions imposed on the farmers and the same norms should be followed in Karnataka. It called for establishment of procurement agencies in all districts and commencement of the exercise at the earliest.

A section of the federation members raised the issue of Mekedatu project and flayed both the Centre and the State for their inability to kickstart the works. Attributing the delay to politics, Narayan Reddy of Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha said that the government has failed to uphold the interest of the farmers.

The Federation members said the elected representatives of the State should pressurize the Centre to accord technical and environmental clearance for the project. Members of the KRRS and Hasiru Sene from Ramanagar said that Mekedatu should be constructed in Karnataka as it will help provide drinking water to Bengaluru surrounding districts apart from helping in electricity generation. Hence, the Government should ignore suggestions made by a section of the farmers that the dam should be constructed at Rasimanal in Tamil Nadu and ensure that the dam was built at Mekedatu, said the federation members.

Farmers Day

The meeting decided to celebrate World Farmers Day in Mysuru on December 31 to take stock of the issues plaguing farmers and the agricultural sector. It was decided to invite Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for inauguration and conduct sessions on important issues germane to the farmers.

Published - November 07, 2024 06:20 pm IST