6 months ago
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It has been implicit 10 days since farmers of Gadag territory successful northbound Karnataka began an indefinite agitation demanding Minimum Support Price (MSP) of ₹3,000 per quintal for maize. Farmers successful the neighbouring districts excessively are up successful arms against the Central and State governments implicit the plummeting terms of maize.
While the Centre has fixed an MSP astatine ₹2,400 per quintal for maize, the prevailing terms successful Karnataka is ₹1,600 to ₹1,800 per quintal. The prices, which began declining successful September, person dropped abruptly implicit the past fortnight.
The plight of the farmers successful Karnataka, which is among the apical maize-producing States successful the country, seems to person been buried nether the cacophony implicit the “power-sharing formula” betwixt the Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah, and the Deputy Chief Minister, D.K. Shivakumar.
The protestation by maize farmers comes astatine a clip erstwhile the State authorities is yet to retrieve from the floods that destroyed crops. That was followed by bid of protests by sugarcane farmers seeking a Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) of ₹3,500 per tonne for sugarcane. The State authorities precocious managed to person the farmers to hold to an FRP of ₹3,300 per tonne.
The Opposition BJP has been speedy to drawback this accidental to represent the ruling disposition arsenic “anti-farmer”, conscionable up of the wintertime league of the State legislature. In response, the Congress has argued that the Union government’s involution is important successful resolving some maize and sugarcane issues. It has mocked the absorption MPs of Karnataka for not having the gumption to rise the contented with their ain enactment leaders astatine the Centre.
Last week, Mr. Siddaramaiah wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking his involution successful the procurement of maize and besides greenish gram, which has seen a terms driblet arsenic well. He said that Mr. Modi should nonstop the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED), the Food Corporation of India, and the National Cooperative Consumers’ Federation of India (NCCF) to statesman MSP procurement instantly nether the Price Support Scheme oregon different suitable mechanism. Mr. Siddaramaiah contended that accrued imports has besides added to the crisis.
The Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Pralhad Joshi, responded by lobbing the shot backmost to the State’s tribunal and insisting that the authorization connected implementing the MSP oregon FRP rests with the State government. He has besides rubbished Mr. Siddaramaiah’s claims connected imports, stating that it is lone 0.5 lakh metric tonnes this fiscal.
Amid the governmental blasted game, 1 of the basal issues that has gone unaddressed is the accelerated enlargement of maize cultivation successful Karnataka. Maize successful Karnataka has replaced rain-fed crops specified arsenic potato, cotton, groundnut, ragi, and sorghum. In 2023, the cultivated country nether maize successful the State was 10.3 lakh hectares. For the existent year, up to July 5, it was 13.98 lakh hectares, up from 12.20 lakh hectare past twelvemonth successful the aforesaid period.
According to marketplace experts, this year, aggregate factors including supply-demand disparity, reduced exports owed to downward inclination successful planetary cereal prices, and related factors caused the terms drop. Ethanol blending results successful the accumulation of ample quantities of Distiller’s Dried Grains with Solubles, a substitute for accepted provender grains, which is cited arsenic different origin reducing the request for maize successful the livestock sector. Also, portion Karnataka has produced implicit 55 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of maize during kharif 2025, it has a marketable surplus of 32 lakh tonnes, which acold exceeds the absorptive capableness of section industries. Added to the occupation is the existing further banal with the distilleries from the erstwhile year’s procurement.
A affirmative improvement amid the situation is Mr. Siddaramaiah’s committedness astir starting procurement nether MSP by the State. However, this is yet to construe into a authorities order. He has besides written to the distilleries successful the State to motion up with NAFED and NCCF for the accumulation of ethanol utilizing maize.
Farmers who cultivate maize successful Karnataka, mostly successful the cardinal and bluish districts, person demanded enactment some by the State and the Centre to travel up with a semipermanent solution. This request presently seems mislaid connected some ruling and Opposition enactment leaders.
