Members of the Karnataka Prantha Raitha Sangha (KPRS) on Sunday staged a protest outside the residence of Umesh Jadhav, MP, against the alleged stepmotherly treatment by the Centre to farmers in the State.
Taking serious exception to the cap on procurement quantity of red gram set by the Union government, Maruti Manpade, KPRS State vice-president, demanded the removal of the cap, which will help growers to sell their crop at the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of ₹6,100 a quintal.
Opposing the duty-free import of red gram, he said that it had affected the local market.
He also criticised the government for the reduction of incentive on red gram.
Mr. Manpade demanded that the government revise the incentive to ₹1,000 a quintal.
As per the World Trade Organisation general agreement, one cannot impose any bans or restrictions on imports, but the government can impose the duty.
Mr. Manpade demanded that the Centre impose 30% duty on red gram imports.
