In the letter, Siddaramaiah pointed out that during the current kharif season, toor dal has been sown in around 16.80 lakh hectares in Karnataka with an expected production of over 12.60 lakh tonnes. | Photo credit: ALLEN EGENUSE J.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressing “alarm on behalf of the toor dal growers of Karnataka, whose economic survival is now at an unavoidable and unjustifiable risk due to the procedural delay at the Union Government level”.
In his letter, Mr. Siddaramaiah pointed to the Karnataka government’s proposal submitted on November 6, 2025 seeking immediate approval for procurement of toordal on MSP basis through NAFED and NCCF and said that no action has been taken in this regard so far.
In the letter, he pointed out that during the current kharif season (2025-26), toor dal has been sown in around 16.80 lakh hectares in Karnataka with an expected production of over 12.60 lakh tonnes, mainly in the northern districts.
Currently, model market prices are between ₹5,830 and ₹6,700 per quintal, while the minimum support price (MSP) announced for toordal for 2025-26 is close to ₹8,000 per quintal. The Chief Minister pointed out that while the peak arrivals are expected between December 2025 and January 2026, the Union government will open malls only in February and March.
Delay hurts
“It is evident that farmers face a serious income shock if the Union Government does not take timely and decisive action. When the market price falls below the MSP, it is not only a question of economics, it is a question of trust between the farmer and the state. Farmers have sown their crops with confidence in the assurance given to the MSP by the Government of India,” Mr. Siddaramaiah added, adding that with each passing day, the farmers in the letter face defaults, sales, debt traps and irretrievable financial losses. damages.
“Any further delay at this critical juncture will inevitably lead to farmer unrest, price collapse and a serious breakdown in confidence in SMEs as a viable public policy tool,” he said in the letter.
Published – 09 Dec 2025 19:36 IST
