Mangaluru : Chairman of the Karnataka Agriculture Price Commission T.N. Prakash Kammaradi on Saturday blamed the Centre for the low Minimum Support Price (MSP) for paddy in the State for 2015-16.

Speaking at an interactive session with farmers and officials at the Krishi Vignana Kendra, Mr. Kammaradi said that farmers in the State got an MSP of Rs. 1,600 per quintal of paddy during 2014-15. Of this, the share of the Centre and State government stood at Rs. 1,310 and Rs. 290 respectively.

In the current fiscal, the Centre had declared Rs. 1,350 as MSP from its share per quintal. At the same time it has restrained the State government from contributing its share.

The Centre has restrained the State from contributing its share on the grounds that it would result in inflation of rice prices thus proving costly for consumers, Mr. Kammaradi said. Criticising the Centre, he said the government should first control the menace of middlemen and rectify the loopholes in the supply chain management.

H. Kempe Gowda, Joint Director of Agriculture, Dakshina Kannada, said the government has opened paddy procurement centres at Puttur, Moodbidri and Bantwal in Dakshina Kannada. But no farmer was coming forward to sell paddy at these centres as they got Rs. 1,450 to Rs. 1,500 per quintal in open markets.

Mr. Kammaradi said that in many Agriculture Produce Marketing Committees yards, paddy was being traded below the MSP announced by the government. Bidders were quoting prices below MSP, he said. He said that necessary amendments to the law would have to be made to prevent trading of farm produces at APMCs below the minimum support price.