Karnataka: Steep price fall leaves tur farmers in the lurch

Kalaburagi: A drastic drop in the open market price of tur dal has dealt a heavy blow to small-scale farmers in the state, especially in Kalaburagi district, who were holding back their produce in anticipation of higher rates.  

The rate of Kalaburagi’s GI-tagged tur crop in the open market has touched a low of Rs 6,250 per quintal against Rs 12,750 prevailed in May last year.

While the price crash is mainly attributed to the Union government’s duty-free import policy till March next year, dal mill owners also cited high production in neighboring states of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

With the government concluding its three-month procurement tenure on May 31, the farmers are now forced to sell their crop at throw-away prices. 

The district administration procured 6,68,422 quintals of tur crop during this period by paying a minimum support price (MSP) of Rs 8,000 per quintal to farmers. However, many farmers did not approach the 189 collection centres, which were opened by the authorities in 2024. Last year, the open market price was hovering around Rs 13,000 per quintal against the MSP of Rs 7,000 fixed by the government.

"The harvesting of tur crops begins in December every year and the markets witness heavy arrivals thereafter. We issued a notification in February to invite farmers for registration to allow them to sell their crop on the MSP from March to May-end. The price had reached an all-time high last year and hence, many farmers did not sell their last year's produce even though we had offered dynamic prices despite Rs 7,000 per quintal fixed by the government. Various reasons, including import and more arrivals, have led to a crash in the price this year," Agriculture Department Joint Director Samad Patel said.

Natural factors

Meanwhile, Kalaburagi Dal Mills Owners’ Association president Chandrashekhar Kobal claimed that the quality of around 80% tur crop in the local market has been affected due to fog and other natural factors, resulting in the steep fall of prices. "Several small farmers stored their last year's crop for several months expecting better prices. But their expectation is belied due to good production in neighboring states and more import from other countries," he added.

Farmer Devendrappa Mulagi, who hails from Kottaragi village of Aland taluk, said he was forced to sell his 20 quintals of crop at Rs 6,000 per quintal as the price continued to collapse on a daily basis. "I had stored the tur crop for three months expecting a good rate. I had to sell it after a long wait due to pressure to repay the loan taken from money lenders. Moreover, I needed money to undertake fresh sowing this season," he said.

Out of the more than 9 lakh hectare agricultural land in the district, tur crop is cultivated in over 6 lakh hectares. The crop is also grown in neighboring districts of Bidar, Yadgir, Vijayapura and Raichur.

Karnataka Tur Growers Association president Basavaraj Ingin contended that the government has been importing cheap quality 'yellow PAP red gram' that has dealt a blow to Kalaburagi farmers who are growing a  more nutritious crop. "India requires 45 lakh MT of tur crop for domestic consumption every year, while its actual production is 35 lakh MT. The government has resorted to excess import without levying any duty," he said.