Duty-free import policy has hit red gram farmers in State, says Minister

The Hindu

8 hours ago

Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister Priyank Kharge has said that the Central government's duty-free import policy for red gram has pushed Karnataka farmers into distress.
Mr. Kharge has in a post on his X account said that Karnataka is the largest producer of red gram and 40% of this comes from Kalaburagi district. Red gram grown in Kalaburagi is renowned for its superior quality the world over.
It has also received GI (Geographical Indication) tag.
The Minister emphasized that 'the Narendra Modi-led government's import policy has put our farmers in hardship'.
In 2024-25, though farmers across India produced 35 lakh tonnes of red gram, the Centre procured less than 10% of the total cultivation.
Karnataka produced one lakh tonnes but farmers were forced to sell their produce at ₹6,000 per quintal much less than the minimum support price of ₹7,550. Even this year, red gram price has plummeted to ₹6,250 in the market against the minimum support price of ₹8,000 per quintal, he said.
The Minister accused the Centre of choosing to flood the market with cheap, poor quality red gram from other countries abandoning local farmers. Since May 2021, red gram imports have been duty-free. This exemption has been extended until March 2026. In 2024-25, India imported more than 13 lakh tonnes of red gram and MoUs with countries like Mozambique have been signed to import additional two lakh tonnes, he said.
Mr. Kharge noted that even though a Commission for Agriculture Costs and Prices report acknowledges that Karnataka demanded minimum support price of ₹16,548 per quintal, with cost of production amounting to ₹11,032 per quintal, the Central government has fixed minimum support price at ₹8,000 per quintal of red gram.
It seems that the Union Ministers from Karnataka are more focused on spreading hatred than standing up to protect the interests of the State they represent, Mr. Kharge said.