Karnataka Sugarcane Cultivators’ Association president Kurubur Shantha Kumar has urged the State government to procure rice and millet from local farmers instead of approaching other States or the Centre.
He has written to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah following the State’s accusation that the Centre had refused to release additional rice for Karnataka and was impeding the implementation of the Anna Bhagya 10 kg free rice programme announced by the Congress as one of its guarantee schemes.
Mr. Siddaramaiah had lashed out at the Centre on this and tweeted about it referring to a circular by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution to the Food Corporation of India discontinuing the sale of rice and wheat through open market sale scheme.
Mr. Shanthakumar said in response to the Centre’s decision the CM has stated that he will write to other States and procure rice from them but instead Mr. Siddaramaiah can procure rice from the local cultivators.
‘’Paddy and millet are cultivated on at least 25 lakh hectares and Mr. Siddaramaiah will be doing a great favour if he procures rice, millet and other produce from the State farmers’’, said Mr. Shanthakumar. This will not only impart a financial boost to the Karnataka farmers but will also help bail them out of economic insecurity, he added.