Former Chief Minister and MP Basavaraj Bommai has written to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah demanding urgent action to provide crop relief to farmers across Karnataka who have suffered repeated losses due to excessive rainfall over the past two years. Bommai alleged that the crop loss survey conducted by government departments was flawed and failed to reflect the ground reality, leaving many affected farmers without compensation.

In his letter, Bommai pointed out that crops such as maize, soybean, pulses, and onions were severely damaged in successive years, yet farmers received no relief. He criticized officials from the agriculture, revenue, and statistics departments for submitting reports without proper field inspections. As a result, several taluks were wrongly shown as having minimal or no crop loss. He cited Mundaragi taluk in Gadag district as an example, where despite significant damage, reports claimed no loss. Bommai insisted that the survey must be corrected immediately and compensation extended to all farmers who suffered losses.

Highlighting the plight of maize growers, Bommai noted that maize is cultivated on nearly 17 lakh hectares in the state, producing around 54 lakh metric tonnes annually. This year, prices have plummeted to ₹1,600 per quintal, far below the MSP of ₹2,400 announced by the Centre. Farmers across districts are demanding that the state government provide an additional ₹500 per quintal support to offset the crash in market prices.

Bommai urged the government to take proactive steps by purchasing maize directly from farmers without waiting for central directives. He argued that the crop, being non-perishable, could be stored and sold later when market rates improve, ensuring farmers are not forced into distress sales. He called for immediate instructions to initiate procurement and safeguard farmer interests.

Source - https://www.thehansindia.com