Mysuru farmers seek immediate paddy procurement registration

Farmers under the banner of the Karnataka State Sugarcane Growers’ Association on Tuesday staged a protest in front of the Deputy Commissioner’s office urging the government to immediately begin the registration process for paddy procurement centres.

Farmer leader Hallikerehundi Bhagyaraj, who led the protest, submitted a memorandum to the district administration demanding fulfilment of farmers’ demands.

Addressing the protestors, Mr. Bhagyaraj demanded that the State government fix an additional price of ₹500 per quintal over the Centre’s Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) of ₹2,369 for paddy.

He urged that registration for procurement begin at the gram panchayat level without delay.

Mr. Bhagyaraj alleged that rice from other States were being distributed through the Public Distribution System (PDS), while local farmers’ produce were being neglected. The government, he said, must purchase all paddy grown by local farmers through procurement centres without imposing conditions, and a joint committee of the Agriculture and Revenue Departments should be formed to oversee the process.

He also demanded that procurement centres be opened immediately and payments credited directly to farmers’ bank accounts within three days of purchase.

Mr. Bhagyaraj said Karnataka should follow the Maharashtra model and pay ₹3,500 per tonne (excluding harvesting and transport charges) directly to farmers. Citing examples from a Gujarat factory, which pays ₹3,850 per tonne, he urged the State government to reconstitute the State Advisory Price (SAP) Committee immediately and fix prices on par with Maharashtra and Gujarat.

He sought a compensation of ₹1 crore for families of farmers who lose their lives due to attacks by wild animals, and warned that farmers would launch an indefinite protest in front of Deputy Commissioners’ offices across the State if it fails to do so.