Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah Urges Centre for Immediate Financial Relief for Red Chilli Farmers

Bengaluru: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has made an urgent appeal to the Central Government to provide immediate financial relief to Karnataka’s red chilli farmers, who are grappling with a severe debt crisis due to unsold inventories from last year and plummeting market prices for their current yields. The crisis has pushed thousands of small and marginal farmers in the drought-prone Kalyana Karnataka region into deep financial distress, as they struggle to sell their produce at fair prices.

In separate letters to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Siddaramaiah requested the extension of the Price Deficiency Payment Scheme under the Market Intervention Scheme to Karnataka’s chilli farmers, similar to the support extended to Guntur chilli farmers in Andhra Pradesh. He emphasized that the continued neglect of Karnataka’s farmers would worsen their economic plight and push many into an unrecoverable debt cycle.

Highlighting the drastic fall in chilli prices, Siddaramaiah warned that farmers are being forced to sell their produce at distress prices, suffering heavy financial losses that threaten their livelihoods. He urged the Centre to raise the Minimum Intervention Price (MIP) from ₹11,781 per quintal to ₹13,500 per quintal, arguing that rising input costs and higher production expenses in Karnataka make the current support inadequate. Additionally, he proposed that government assistance should cover at least 75% of total production, as the existing scheme’s 25% coverage leaves a large number of farmers unprotected.

The Chief Minister also demanded that the Union Government bear the full burden of the price deficiency payment, instead of the existing 50:50 cost-sharing arrangement. He noted that red chilli prices are heavily influenced by the Centre’s domestic and export policies, which directly impact market stability and farmer incomes. Given this, he argued that Karnataka farmers deserve the same level of support as their counterparts in Andhra Pradesh.

Calling for fair and urgent intervention, Siddaramaiah stressed that the Centre’s support at this crucial juncture would not only provide immediate relief but would also demonstrate the government’s commitment to the welfare of farmers across all states. He reiterated that equal support for Karnataka’s chilli farmers is essential to ensure fairness and prevent further economic distress in the region.