Siddaramaiah urges PM to implement price deficiency payment scheme for red chillies

Bengaluru

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan requesting for implementation of price deficiency payment scheme under Market Intervention Scheme for red chillies in Karnataka.

In the letter, he expressed deep concern for the lakhs of red chilli farmers in Karnataka, particularly in the Kalyana Karnataka region, who are facing an unprecedented crisis due to   drastic fall in market prices.

The Chief Minister noted that the Government of India has approved the Price Deficiency Payment (PDP) scheme under   Market Intervention Scheme (MIS) for Red Chillies (Guntur Variety) in Andhra Pradesh, fixing the Minimum Intervention Price (MIP) at Rs 11,781 per quintal with coverage for up to 25 per cent of production.

 While this is a welcome step, the distress faced by Karnataka's red chilli farmers remains unaddressed. Siddaramaiah highlighted that in Karnataka, the cost of production for Guntur variety of red chillies (Rain fed) has been assessed at Rs 12,675 per quintal by the Karnataka Agricultural Price Commission.

 However, farmers are forced to sell their produce at distress prices as low as Rs 8,300 per quintal in markets like Sindhanur. This not only results in massive financial losses but also threatens their very survival, he said.

The Chief Minister emphasised that the Kalyana Karnataka region, one of the most backward and drought-prone areas in the country, is home to thousands of small and marginal farmers dependent on red chilli cultivation.