Good news for farmers: Karnataka to buy paddy, millet, maize with support prices from January
Bengaluru: Since coconut is a perennial crop, the Cabinet Sub-Committee on Price Stabilization of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops has decided to submit a proposal to the Center to purchase support price throughout the year. It has suggested buying paddy, millet, maize with support price from coming January.
In the committee room of Vidhana Soudha, Agriculture Minister N. Chaluvarayaswamy chaired the cabinet sub-committee meeting held last Thursday after discussing price stabilization of many crops.
Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs HK Patil, Minister for Food Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs K.H. Muniyappa, Cooperation Minister K.N. This important decision was taken by the cabinet sub-committee comprising Rajanna, Sugar and Agriculture Product Marketing Committee Minister Sivananda Patil.
The set target of 54,750 metric tonnes of coir should be fully achieved. Besides, it was decided to appeal to the center to buy coconuts with support price. The committee also suggested that attention should be paid to the value addition of coconut products in the state on the model of Kerala. A permanent grant should be provided to the Agricultural Revolving Fund. The committee members expressed a consensus that its total amount should be increasing.
It was decided in the meeting that timely market intervention should be done to benefit the farmers without benefiting the middlemen and immediate payment should be made for the purchased products. The committee instructed 53 farmers to pay additional interest in the cases of delayed payment of turmeric from Chamarajanagar farmers.
Paddy, millet, maize should be procured with support price from coming January. The cabinet sub-committee suggested that the farmers should be benefited and purchased according to the rules without any omissions as in the past.
The committee decided to insist that central action should be taken in this regard because of the high tax levied on the export of onion and the farmers are missing the opportunity to get better price. The sub-committee decided to issue instructions to the concerned agencies and departments that the various departments have made purchases using the revolving fund and should return it as soon as possible. The finance department should intervene and help. The committee advised to take steps to provide more opportunity to the central organizations as well as the state organizations in the procurement process of ration food.
