BENGALURU: Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister Priyank Kharge accused the Union Government of flooding the market with cheap, low-quality tur dal from other countries.
Karnataka is India’s top tur dal producing state. Over 40% of it comes from just one district, Kalaburagi, which is home to the GI-tagged Kalaburagi Tur. “But once again, our farmers have been left in the lurch by the Modi government,” the minister alleged, taking to the social media platform, X.
The minister stated that it is shocking that tur imports have been duty-free since May 2021, with the waiver extended till March 2026. In 2024-25 alone, over 13 lakh metric tonnes were imported and MoUs with countries like Mozambique have been signed to import another two lakh metric tonnes, he said.
In 2024-25, India produced 35 lakh metric tonnes of tur, but the Union government procured less than 10% of it, the minister stated. Karnataka alone produced 10 lakh quintals, but farmers were forced to sell at Rs 6,000/quintal, well below the MSP of Rs 7,550, causing a loss to farmers. This year’s MSP is Rs 8,000, but prices have crashed to Rs 6,250, nearly half of last year’s rates, the minister stated.
Stating that the agrarian economy reels under neglect and mismanagement, the minister slammed Union Ministers from Karnataka for not standing up for the rightful interests of the state they represent.