The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Patil seeks MSP for red chilli

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jan 10, 2007
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Patil seeks MSP for red chilli

Special Correspondent

BANGALORE: Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council H.K. Patil on Tuedsay demanded that the State Government should immediately announce a minimum support price (MSP) of Rs 8,000 per quintal for red chilli following price crash.

He told presspersons here that the price of the three major varieties of red chilli in the State had fallen by 50 per cent since four months, forcing the growers in Haveri, Dharwad, Bagalkot, Belgaum, Gulbarga, Koppal and Gadag to take to the streets. In certain markets, chilli was being quoted at Rs. 2,000 per quintal, which was much lower than the cost of production.

Mr. Patil said the State Government had done nothing to help farmers. In most of these areas, the famous Byadgi variety of chilli hardly had any buyers and it was apparent that the middlemen were determining the market prices. A substantial part of the chilli grown in the State served as a source for the manufacture of natural colours and there was not a single industrial unit in the State to utilise it. The Government could at least help farmers by setting up a chain of cold storage units, apart from announcing the minimum support price and procuring chilli from farmers.

About the recent conference of JD (S) legislators in Pune, he said the trip was arranged and executed by some "vested interests".

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