‘Karnataka Covid-19 lockdown has caused Rs 1 lakh crore loss to farmers’

Farmers said on Friday that the farming community has suffered losses up to Rs 1 lakh crore in the Covid-19 second wave in Karnataka.

Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (KRRS) state president Badagalapura Nagendra said that their initial estimates suggested that the farmers have incurred this loss after the enforcement of the lockdown.

"Farm produce is being sold for lesser prices across the state while the closure of markets at some places turned it into waste. In Mysore district alone, farmers, who cultivated banana, flowers, tomato, paddy and horticulture produce, have suffered the loss of Rs 1,600 crore," Nagendra said in a press release.

He urged the government to procure paddy through minimum support price (MSP) scheme. "The pending MSP for paddy, ragi, and jowar should be transferred to the account of farmers immediately," he urged.

Nagendra said the government should ensure that Karnataka Milk Federation does not stop procuring milk. The idea of stopping milk procurement due to a surge in supply is not rational, he said.