While inaugurating the threeday third Pashu Mela in Bidar earlier this month, BS Yediyurappa had said he would double the 10 quintalquota set by the central government under a system that guarantees a minimum support price (MSP) of Rs 6,100 for farmers. The procurement is meant to provide some relief to many tur growers, who have been unable to sell their stock because of a glut in the market.
Tur dal is mostly grown in Kalyana Karnataka region, and Kalaburagi is a major market. The production in the state went up from nearly 10.1 lakh tonnes in 2018-19 to 13 lakh tonnes in 2019-20.
The Centre has allowed the purchase of about 1.9 lakh tonnes and agreed to pay Rs 5,800 per quintal out of the MSP of Rs 6,100. The state government will cover the remainder. With Yediyurappa’s promise, there is a requirement of additional funding, which is hard to get.
“So far, only 22,162 tonnes have been procured by the government,” an official said. Tuesday is the last day for procurement under MSP, and some desperate farmers have already resorted to distress sale, giving away their stock for as low as Rs 4,200 per quintal.
According to another official, Yediyurappa has written multiple letters to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and agriculture and finance ministers, seeking nod to increase the procurement limit, but to no avail.
“My department has also sent a formal request to union ministers and is waiting for their reply,” said state co-operation minister ST Somashekhar.
Last week, the issue was debated in the assembly, and Yediyurappa said he was confident of getting the Centre’s approval. But sources in the Chief Minister’s Office said signs from the Centre were not encouraging. In fact, some officials in Delhi have conveyed to Yediyurappa that Karnataka should not rely on the central government, which is battling an economic slowdown. Another option before Yediyurappa is to dip into the state kitty, but the finance department has made it clear that for this to happen, it will need an additional allocation of Rs 3,000 crore.
“It is a difficult situation as far as funds are concerned. But our government is committed to protecting the interest of farmers,” said agriculture minister BC Patil.
Amarnath Patil, president of Hyderabad Karnataka Chamber of Commerce, suggested that farmers should sell their crop at the market rate, which is lower than MSP. Later, when the state government gets funds from the Centre, it can pay the difference to farmers. “This will help farmers and ensure adequate supply in the market,” he said.
