Karnataka urges Centre to procure farm produce under MSP

Noting that several centrally sponsored schemes helped the state farmers, the Karnataka minister urged the Union govt to take immediate steps to help farmers whenever price drop to agriculture produce.

New Delhi: Agriculture Minister N Cheluvarayaswamy on Tuesday urged the Centre to procure groundnut, urad, soybean, sunflower, and other agricultural produce under the Minimum Support Price (MSP) scheme from Karnataka.

Speaking at the National Rabi Campaign Conference organized by the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare here, the minister highlighted that the market prices of groundnut, urad, sunflower, and soybean are currently below the MSP.

Noting that several centrally sponsored schemes helped the state farmers, he urged the Union Minister to take immediate steps to help farmers whenever price drop to agriculture produce.

Since farmers in the state are increasingly adopting mechanized farming practices, leading to a high demand for the Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanization (SMAM) scheme, additional Rs 200 crore for the 2025-26 fiscal year to be allocated to the state.

He also pointed out that the Union Ministry of Fertilizer is yet to supply 3.36 lakh metric tonnes of urea to the state from April to September 2025 and steps should be taken to supply the same at the earliest.

The minister requested the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) to recognise and sanction necessary funding for the newly established University of Agricultural Sciences at Mandya.

He also sought the transfer of all Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) and All India Coordinated Research Project (AICRP) centers from the University of Agricultural Sciences, Bengaluru, to the University of Agricultural Sciences at Mandya.