Krishna Byre Gowda, Minister of State for Agriculture, has said that the purchase of red gram by the State through procurement centres offering minimum support price (MSP) was highest in Karnataka’s history this year. He was speaking to mediapersons at Farhatabad, Kalaburagi district, on Friday.
The Minister said that around 16 lakh quintals of red gram had already been procured at an MSP of ₹5,500 a quintal and the quantity would reach 25 lakh quintals by the end of the season.
“The purchase of 2,51,000 quintals of red gram at the cost of ₹137 crores in 2013-14 was the highest in the State’s history. Considering the expansion of red gram cultivation area, we had planned to triple the purchase this year and made all arrangements to procure 7,50,000 quintals. Since there was a great demand, we obtained the approval from the Union government to double the target to purchase 16 lakh quintals. However, that too proved insufficient. We have taken fresh approval to purchase 24 lakh quintals. By the end of the season, the procurement is going to cross 25 lakh quintals – ten times the record of 2013-14,” he said.
The Minister claimed that Karnataka was the only State in the country that was adding better incentive to base-MSP offered by Union government. “No other State in the country is giving as much incentive as Karnataka [₹450 a quintal]. It is because of State support that the red gram growers are taking more interest in selling their crop at the procurement centres here. Of the expected 60 lakh quintals of pulses’ procurement in the country for the year, Karantaka alone is going supply almost half,” he said. Mr. Gowda also said that the State government was in talks with the Union government for extending the last date of red gram procurement, considering the quantity of harvested red gram that is still unsold.
To a question on drought relief for the rabi season, the Minister said that the State government had been pressurising the Union Home Ministry to convene a meeting to finalise the amount of funds to be released for drought-hit States.
“The Union government is being very cooperative on this issue, though the proposed meeting by the Home Minister has not been held. Instead of misleading the people, the State BJP leaders should pressurise the Union government that is led by their own party and get the funds for drought compensation released,” he said.
Earlier, Mr. Gowda visited a farm-pond constructed by a beneficiary of Krishi Bhagya Somanathahalli. He appealed to farmers to use rainwater stocked in farm-ponds judiciously by using sprinkler and drip irrigation sets. He listened to the farmers’ woes and tried to answer all their questions.
