The slump in the price of maize during the harvest season has created apprehension among farmers in the district.
The price per quintal of maize that was at ₹1,400 till third week of October has fallen to ₹1,100 now. It has fallen by around 30% in 15 days.
The Department of Agriculture had set a target to cultivate paddy, a water-intensive crop, in 1.07 lakh hectares of land in the district during the kharif season. However, owing to scarcity of rain, paddy was cultivated in 77,000 hectares this time. The maize, a less water-intensive crop was cultivated in 71,800 hectares this kharif season against the target set by the department to take up cultivation in 54,800 hectares.
Owing to a decline in the rainfall, there was an enhancement in acreage under maize. Maize was cultivated even in Hosanagar and Sagar taluks, regions known for high rainfall, this year. The average yield of maize per hectare is around 45 quintal in the district. The total output of maize this year was estimated to be around 3.23 lakh quintal in the district this year.
Greater control
With the commencement of harvesting of maize from the third week of October, the price has started to decline leaving farmers worried. Halappa, a farmer from Anavatti village, said as the government stopped procuring maize at minimum support price (MSP), middlemen are having greater control over the market now. As the flow of the produce enhanced with the commencement of harvest season, the middlemen have manipulated the price to their advantage.
Rajappa, a farmer from Kumsi village said that, the farmers would incur loss by selling maize for the prevailing price. K.T. Gangadhar, Working President of Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha has said that, the Government should come to the rescue of the farmers by announcing Rs 2,000 as MSP for maize. The procurement of maize should commence immediately. The announcement of MSP would stabilise the price of the produce, he said.
