Permission has been sought from Centre to procure an additional three lakh tonnes, says Govt.
Permission has been sought from Centre to procure an additional three lakh tonnes, says Govt.
Ahead of international year of millets, the State Government is in the dock over its alleged tardiness in procurement of ragi as the staple crop of Old Mysuru region is being sold almost at 50% of MSP in several markets.
As the Opposition members took the government to task in the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday while alleging that it’s conditions related to ragi procurement were violative of central norms related to MSP, the State Government said it had sought permission from the Centre to procure an additional three lakh tonnes under MSP scheme.
Congress MLA Krishna Byregowda alleged in the Assembly that the government had issued an order saying that it would procure ragi only from the small and marginal farmers at a rate of 10 to 20 quintals per acre. This had meant that those having more than five acres of land had been left out of market intervention scheme, he argued, and pointed out that the central norms related to MSP had not provided for enforcing such conditions.
Also, much against the central norm that 25% of the total quantum of produce listed under MSP could be procured, Karnataka had agreed to procure only 2.1 lakh tonnes of ragi though it had the right to stretch its procurement till four lakh tonnes as state’s ragi production was estimated to be around 14 lakh tonnes, he said.
He pointed out that this had resulted in prices of ragi in the open market ruling in the range of ₹1,620 to ₹2,000 a quintal as against the prescribed MSP of ₹3,377 a quintal.
He demanded that immediate measures should be taken to get permission for procuring more ragi and also remove the conditions on procurement. Ragi growers in about 30 taluks had been left high and dry, he said.
He explained that ragi which was once grown on 15 lakh hectares of land in the state had shrunk to 5.75 lakh hectares by 2014-15 due to lack of remunerative prices. The then Congress Government had provided an incentive of ₹450 per quintal for ragi in addition to MSP that ruled in the range of ₹1,600 to ₹1,700 in 2014-15, he noted. This had increased ragi cultivation area which had now touched 7.28 lakh hectares, he said.
Reminding the government that the campaign by Karnataka to popularize millets had reached international level with the UN declaring 2023 as international year of millets, he demanded that the interests of ragi growers should be protected. Several Opposition members from ragi-growing areas endorsed his views.
While Law Minister J. C. Madhuswamy argued that there were restrictions related to quantum of procurement as it was not possible to sell a large quantum of ragi through procurement, Food and Civil Supplies Minister Umesh Katti said the State had requested the Centre to grant permission to procure an additional 3 lakh tonnes of ragi under MSP scheme.
