The State Agriculture Prices Commission has recommended to the State government to fix the procurement price of the red gram at Rs. 5,350 per quintal, by giving an incentive of Rs.1, 000 per quintal more than the Minimum Support Price of Rs. 4,350 fixed by the Commission for Agriculture Cost and Prices (CACP) for the current year.
Leaders of different farmer organisations wanted the State government to fix the procurement price of the red gram at Rs. 6,000 per quintal taking into account the rising cost in the cultivation of the crop and increase in the prices of the input.
President of the Karnataka Pranta Raita Sangha (KPRS) Maruti Manpade who met Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in Bengaluru told presspersons here on Wednesday that the Chief Minister had responded positively and assured the implementation of the recommendations of the Cabinet Sub-Committee on Agriculture Prices headed by Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister T.B. Jayachandra.
Mr. Manpade said that Mr. Jayachandra, who was also present during the meeting, said that the meeting of the committee would be held within two or three days. He said that the State government itself had recommended to CACP last year to increase the MSP of red gram to Rs. 5,950 per quintal, taking into consideration the cost involved in the cultivation.
Mr. Manpade said that the State government should act urgently and fix the procurement prices at the earliest as well as start procurement centres to prevent the crash in the prices of the crop. ”.
