BENGALURU: The Karnataka High Court directed deputy commissioners of respective districts, who are also chairpersons of the District Minimum Support Price (MSP) Task Force, to take up a scientific study to assess the nature of crops cultivated and estimated quantities of foodgrains likely to be brought by farmers to procurement centres before determining the number and location of such centres.
This is one of the four directions issued by the division bench of Chief Justice NV Anjaria and Justice KV Aravind on May 28 while disposing of a PIL filed by Rait Sena Karnataka from Dharwad. The petitioner had sought directions to the state government to operate procurement centres across the state throughout the year, to enable farmers to sell their produce at MSP.
The court directed that if existing procurement centres are found to be insufficient, DCs should ensure that adequate additional centres are set up within the procurement period.
With harvesting now extending beyond the traditional seasons, and to ensure that farmers are adequately remunerated through MSP, the court directed the state government to set up at least one procurement centre in each taluk for two months beyond the procurement period fixed by the central government. It could be at the discretion of the state government, it directed.
The petitioner contended that farmers are facing hardships as procurement centres are not working throughout the year. As these centres function only for a limited period, farmers are compelled to sell their produce to middlemen at rates lower than MSP, they added.