A delegation of farmers from Mysuru on Monday met Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and urged him to take immediate measures for establishing paddy procurement centres in the State after announcing the minimum support price for the crop.
The farmers led by Federation of Farmers’ Organisations and the State Sugarcane Growers’ Association President Kurubur Shanthakumar met the Chief Minister in Bengaluru and presented a memorandum to him for saving the paddy growers.
Before the prices fall, the government must take steps to establish procurement centres as the harvesting season has commenced, he said. In the wake of heavy rains reported in most parts of the State recently, the crop yield may come down and therefore the government must announce the MSP to save farmers from distress.
He also urged the Chief Minister to take measures for procuring the produce of farmers at the support price wherever there has been rain damage.
The farmer leader suggested that the farmers’ producer companies in the State can be permitted to open paddy procurement centres to prevent injustice to farmers.
He had earlier, in a letter to the MCC, sought loans at subsidised rates to such farmer producer companies so that they could buy the produce directly from farmers. This will benefit farmers and put an end to merchants’ ploy of buying the produce at lesser rates, he had argued.
The delegation also urged the Chief Minister to reconsider the price fixed for sugarcane.
