Karnataka - Mysore   

Plea to start paddy procurement

Staff Correspondent

MYSORE: Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sanghatanegala Okkuta has urged the Government to start procurement of paddy by fixing minimum support price.

Addressing a press conference here on Monday, okkuta convener Kurubur Shanthakumar said that with the fall in the price of the produce, farmers who grew paddy in 15 lakh hectares of land across the State were not in a position to reap harvest and market the crop.

The Government should open procurement centres in paddy-growing areas and compensate the loss incurred by farmers by extending Rs. 150 as subsidy on the lines of concession extended by in States such as Kerala and Tamil Nadu, he added. Paddy growers were incurring huge losses despite getting yield to the tune of 18 quintals an acre as they were spending an average of Rs. 11,000 an acre.

Defective weights

Meanwhile, traders were also cheating farmers by using defective weights and measures.

The authorities should direct the traders to use electronic scales to create confidence among the farmers, Mr. Shanthakumar said.

The agriculture subsidy system was helping seed and fertilizer companies, but farmers were being denied of any profit.

It was imperative for the Government to release the subsidy directly to the farmers, he added.

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