Procure groundnut, maize at MSP: state urges Centre

As prices of groundnuts and maize crashed, Karnataka government on Thursday urged the Centre to procure the two crops from the state farmers at minimum support price.

There is urgent need to procure groundnut at MSP since the crop prices plummeted expecting bumper harvest this year, state ministers KT Kader and Byre Gowda informed Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh here.

In a separate meeting with Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan, Kader and Gowda, respectively the food and agriculture ministers in the state, placed the request to procure maize from Karnataka and distribute it through central pool to north Indian states that consume the grain.

The Centre had procured five lakh tonnes of maize from Karnataka at MSP in 2013-14, the last time it did so.

The state also asked Paswan to release the Rs 1,050 crore the Centre owes to Karnataka for the last three years. Karnataka is among the handful of states with separate revolving fund of Rs 1,500 crore to carry out market operations, but now the fund has dropped to Rs 500 crore.

If the Centre pays the dues, the state could use the money to help farmers when prices crash, Gowda added.