Farmers’ body protests delay in payment for maize procured under MSP

The Ballari district committee of the All India Kisan Khet Mazdoor Sangh (AIKKMS) staged a protest near the Deputy Commissioner’s office in Ballari on Saturday (October 3), demanding immediate release of pending payments to farmers for jowar procured under the Minimum Support Price (MSP) scheme.

The protesters submitted a memorandum to the Union government and the State Minister for Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs through the Additional Deputy Commissioner, seeking payment of all outstanding dues to the farmers without further delay.

Addressing the protesters, AIKKMS district president Govind said farmers had not received payment even three months after selling their jowar to the government. The delay had pushed many farmers into financial difficulties, affecting their ability to repay agricultural loans, make preparations for the next crop and meet household expenses, he said.

He questioned the government’s decision to use jowar for distribution through the public distribution system while keeping the procurement payments due to farmers pending. “The entire pending amount for jowar procurement should be credited to the farmers’ bank accounts without any further delay,” he demanded.

AIKKMS State committee member E. Hanumanthappa said farmers across the State, including in Ballari, were facing severe difficulties amid drought conditions. He urged the State Government to focus on addressing people’s problems instead of engaging in political disputes.

He also demanded a permanent mechanism to ensure that payments for agricultural produce procured under the MSP scheme were made within the stipulated period. He said the government had also kept hamali (loading and unloading workers’) wages pending and demanded their immediate release.

Warning of intensified agitation, Mr. Hanumanthappa said the organisation would launch further protests if the pending payments were not cleared.