Members of Ikya Horata Samiti along with farmers staged a protest outside the Deputy Commissioner’s office here on Monday urging the State government to ensure that red gram was procured at a minimum support price (MSP) of ₹8,000 per quintal. They poured red gram over the main road bringing vehicular traffic to a standstill for some time as part of the dharna.
The protestors, led by the former MLA B.R. Patil, accused the State government and the Centre of not taking steps to protect the interests of farmers. Accusing the Yediyurappa-led State government of refraining from paying incentives for red gram this year, Mr. Patil added that the then Siddaramaiah-led Congress government in the State had extended ₹450 as incentive for each quintal of red gram.
Mr. Patil said that red gram growers were exploited at the hands of private traders because the district administration was hesitant in procuring red gram even after establishing procurement centres across the district.
He said that last year around 11 lakh quintals of red gram had arrived in the market, but this year only five lakh quintals have come to the market as nearly 30 % of farmers have stocked harvested produce and are reluctant to sell it at a low price.
Meanwhile, an argument erupted between the police and the agitators when the former asked the latter to withdraw the agitation. The police then detained more than 15 agitators only to release them later.
