Karnataka Prantha Raitha Sangha (KPRS), Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (KRRS), All India Kisan Sabha, Hyderabad Karnataka Chamber of Commerce and Industries, and Grains and Seeds Merchants Association have given a bandh call on Tuesday to protest against the indifferent attitude of the Union and State governments towards revising minimum support price for red gram.
Addressing presspersons here on Saturday, KPRS State president Maruti Manpade and HKCCI president Somshekar Tengli criticised the Union Budget as anti-farmer and accused the Union government of failing to address the issues related to the crisis in the farming sector in the budget.
Pointing to the Union government’s apathy in solving the issues concerning red gram growers, Mr. Manpade said that Union Ministers Ananth Kumar and D.V. Sadananda Gowda had failed to urge Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh to revise the minimum support price for red gram. Even Shobha Karandlaje, MP, had failed to fulfil promise of taking up the matter with Union Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on imposing 30 % import duty on pulses, Mr. Manpade added.
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He said that duty-free import of red gram has hit domestic growers hard.
Farmers cannot sell their produce at a minimum support price of ₹ 5,500 as the cost of production is more than ₹ 6,000 a quintal. He said Basavaraj Patil Sedam, MP, should press the Union government to revise the minimum support price.
Meanwhile, Congress leader M. Mallikarjun Kharge should also press the State government for enhancing its incentive up to ₹ 1,000 per quintal. At present, the procurement centres are purchasing the crop at ₹ 5,500 a quintal — minimum support price of ₹ 5,050 plus ₹ 450 State’s incentive, he added.
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Mr. Manpade appealed to educational institutions and government offices not to function on Tuesday.
He also asked commercial establishments to remain closed, and urged bus and autorickshaw drivers to support the bandh.