K'taka asks Centre to buy up to 1 lakh tonnes green gram at MSP

Karnataka cooperation minister Bandeppa Kashempur today called on Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh and requested him to raise the procurement limit for green gram up to 1,00,000 tonnes from the existing 23,250 tonnes under the price support scheme (PSS).

The Centre implements the PSS to protect the farmers when prices fall below the minimum support price (MSP). The MSP of green gram has been fixed at Rs 6,975 per quintal for the 2018-19 crop year (July-June).

"We informed the Union minister that more farmers have registered with procurement agency to sell green gram under the PSS and therefore the current procurement limit be raised to 1,00,000 tonnes so that all them take the benefit," Kashempur told reporters after the meeting.

The central government has given assurance that the proposal will be considered once the current limit is exhausted, he said.

The minister further said that the procurement of green gram grown in the kharif season of this crop year has just begun. So far, 1,14,549 farmers have registered with procurement agency.

The present ceiling fixed for green gram buying will cover only about 16.84 per cent of the production. Even if the state government fixes 10 quintal per farmers as the ceiling limit of procurement, it can cover only 23,290 farmers leaving 91,299 registered farmers uncovered under the PSS, he added.

By enhancing the ceiling limit of procurement from 23,250 tonnes to 1,00,000 tonnes, the Minister said it will at least cover the remaining 79 per cent of the registered farmers.

Green gram procurement under the PSS are being undertaken in Belgaum, Bidar, Kalaburgi, Yadagir, Bagalkot, Gadag and Dharward districts.

Green gram has been sown in 4.22 lakh hectare in the state. The state is expecting 1.38 lakh tonnes of green gram production in the kharif season of 2018-19.

Karnataka social welfare minister Priyanka Karge, former state chief minister Jagadish Shettar, Members of Parliament Prahalad Joshi and Bhagawant Kubaa besides MLA Shankar Munavali were present in the meeting.