Kalaburagi: While farmers are shattered in the wake of a sudden fall in prices of Tur (red gram), traders and Dal mill owners, are beaming because they set to rake in substantial profits.
Farmers, who endured losses of Tur crop following heavy downpour in October, are in tears as the price has crashed from about Rs 9,000 a quintal few months ago to Rs 4500 a quintal now. With commission charged by agents, transportation costs, gunny bag cost and labour charges are taken into consideration, farmers will be poorer by Rs 200-300 a quintal. "So the returns to the farmers, who have suffered crop losses and have an average yield due to long dry spell, is minimal", rued a Raitha Sangha leader.
Though the Union government fixed the MSP of Tur at Rs 5050 a quintal and the state government announced a subsidy of Rs 450 a quintal, these measures have not helped alleviate the plight of farmers.
Because the quantum of tur being purchased through red gram procurement centres at the Agriculture Produce Marketing Committees is far inadequate as compared to the quantity of produce that is arriving to the farmers. Moreover the rules laid down for selling their produce, are acting as a deterrant to farmers. " Eventhough tur crop was destroyed in large areas and the yield is average, the production is substantial in view of cultivation on a large area. For example in Kalaburagi district alone, after a loss of crop in 60,000 hectares in the September-October rains, the production would be around 20 lakh tones as the crop was cultivated on over four lakh hectares. Of this the government intends to purchase about 10 lakh centres", a senior officer of agriculture department informs.
Although the leaders of farmers are disappointed, they are not bemused. "The crash in the price of Tur or any other commodity is not a new phenomenon for us. Because it happens every year during the harvesting seasons. There are cartels of businessmen, who in tandem with the government agencies, ensure that the prices are made to fall steeply during the harvest season so that the businessmen can stock and sell them at a huge profit some months later", A Raitha Sangha leader claims.
Take the case of Mr Hamanth Reddy, a small time trader from Tandur, who has already purchased 500 quintals of Tur at Rs 4,500 per quintal and stocked them in a government owned godown. "This I intend to sell in the months of October- November when prices normally shoot up. In 2015 also I had purchased 500 quintals for Rs 4500 per quintal, which I sold in 2016 January at Rs 9,000 per quintal. If the farmers can also stock, they can reap good reurn.
