'Open turmeric procurement centre'

Raitha Sangha district unit president A M Maheshprabhu urged the government to immediately open a turmeric procurement centre in the district.

Addressing a media conference here on Wednesday, he said the central government has fixed a support price of Rs 4,092 per quintal. There should not be any delay as the district administration has already received Rs one crore for purchase of turmeric. He said that district administration shouldn’t delay procurement.

Many of the farmers have already sold turmeric for Rs 2,500 per quintal. They should be paid according to the support price fixed by the government. A few traders have already started hoarding turmeric. A storage unit at Erode in Tamil Nadu has also been storing the goods.

With increase of price of turmeric, there is a chance of the stored goods being pushed into the market here. District administration and APMC should prevent such practises, he added.

The central government has stopped export of turmeric, which has led to fall in prices.

Farmers are facing problems due to the unscientific policies of the government. Farmers in the district are yet to reap profits from growing paddy and onion. Many have left onions to rot in the fields. But, the government has failed to take any interest in helping ryots. Ryots are yet to be paid Rs 3 crore for purchase of paddy, he said.

The government has failed to consider the demands of the Chamarajanagar in this year’s budget. Project to supply water to lakes from rivers is yet to be taken up, he added.