 "Red gram growers want Karnataka govt to restart procurement")
Red gram (or tur) farmers in Karnataka have opposed the duty free import of red gram and the 15 per cent incentive offered to importers. The import of cheap and low quality red gram has affected the local market and farmers are not getting right price for their crop, farmers said.
"The government of India's incentive policy for import of tur has badly affected the local farmers as the imported dal is available at lower prices. The local traders are offering prices below the MSP (minimum support price) to farmers," said Basavaraj Ingin, President, Karnataka Pradesh Red Gram Growers Association.
He said the state government has also stopped procurement of tur through the state-owned Tur Development Board and the farmers are forced to sell their produce at lower prices.
As a result of the incentive policy of the government of India, private traders have imported 3 million tonnes of tur dal from Canada this year at prices below the MSP. Yet, the common man has to shell out up to Rs 100 per kg in the retail market, he said.
The demand for pulses in India is estimated at 19 million tonnes, while the domestic production is only around 18 million tonnes and to meet the balance the government has allowed duty-free imports, he said.
"The government's import policy has badly affected the local farmers. The private traders are importing cheap quality dal, which is meant for pigs and are selling it in the domestic market. So, we have requested the government to impose a 25 per cent import duty and also abolish the 15 per cent incentive given to importers," Ingin said.
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Presently, the private traders in Gulbarga are offering Rs 3,600 per quintal for tur, which is 16 per cent lower than the MSP of Rs 4,300 per quintal, he said adding that the state government should come to the rescue of farmers and procure their produce.
The state government had earmarked Rs 135 crore for procurement of tur from the farmers directly through the Tur Development Board this year. The procurement has now been stopped and still 20,000 farmers that have registered with the board are unable to get the right price for their produce. As the government has stopped procurement, they are forced to sell their produce for lower prices to private traders, Ingin told Business Standard after submitting memorandum to chief minister Siddaramaiah.
Until the declaration of Lok Sabha elections, the state government had procured 270,000 quintals.
Gulbarga district in northern Karnataka contributes 15 per cent of national Tur output. This year, more than 800,000 hectares of area was cultivated for tur and the estimated production was around 560,000 tonnes from Gulbarga district alone.
The Red Gram Growers Association has also demanded the Karnataka government to immediately sanction another ~200 crore to the Tur Development Board for procurement of Tur from the farmers.
Ingin also urged the Centre to increase the MSP on pulses to at least Rs 5,000 per quintal for 2014-15. The government has announced an MSP of Rs 4,350 per quintal for 2014-15.
"The government has unscientifically declared MSP for 2014-15, which is just 1 per cent more than the last year. How can the prices of pulses go up by only one per cent when the prices of every other commodity are increasing by 20 per cent annually? So, we request the government to fix Rs 5,000 per quintal for next year on all pulses uniformly," he said.
The association has also urged the government to fix Rs 3,000 per quintal MSP for all cereals uniformly.
Among other demands, the growers have demanded the government to rechristen the Tur Development Board as Pulses Development Board.