Members of Samyukta Horata Karnataka and red gram growers staging a protest outside the Deputy Commissioner’s office in Kalaburagi on Thursday.
| Photo Credit: ARUN KULKARNI
Red gram growers under the banner of Samyukta Horata Karnataka, Kalaburagi unit, staged a day-and-night protest outside the Deputy Commissioner’s office here on Thursday in support of their demands to open procurement centres and to revise the minimum support price for red gram.
The protesters sought the immediate opening of exclusive red gram procurement centres and fixation of minimum support price at ₹12,500 per quintal, stating that prevailing market prices are inadequate to cover the cost of cultivation.
They also demanded a cooperative-based procurement system on the lines of the Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) model.
Karnataka Prantha Raitha Sangha district president Sharanabasappa Mamshetty said that the State government should provide a production incentive of ₹1,000 per quintal, with an additional incentive of ₹1,000 per quintal from the Union government, to ensure remunerative returns to farmers.
He also sought imposition of a 50% import duty on red gram, saying that imports are adversely affecting domestic prices.
Activists Bheemshankar Madiyal, Maula Mulla and Umapathi Patil urged the district administration to begin procurement operations immediately to prevent distress sales.
They also called for early settlement of crop insurance claims and demanded waiver of agricultural loans availed by farmers from nationalised banks.
Published – January 23, 2026 07:18 pm IST
