iGrain India - Bangalore. The state government is concerned over the increase in the price of seeds of various crops in Karnataka before the start of sowing in the Kharif season, while the opposition is also criticizing the government.
The opposition has blamed the five guarantees of the state government for the increase in seed prices, while the Chief Minister has cited drought as the reason.
An opposition leader says that the price of subsidized seeds available in the Agriculture Department has doubled.
Seeds are available in the open market at half the price. The government should immediately intervene to reduce the price of seeds.
The Chief Minister of Karnataka says that last year (in 2023), Karnataka faced a severe drought which affected the production of seeds and as a result, the cost of purchasing seeds from the producers increased.
This is not the case only in Karnataka but the situation is the same in most other major agricultural producing states. There is a difference of up to 48.56 percent in the prices of seeds this year as compared to last year. Comparing with other states, it is found that the price of seeds in Karnataka is still low.
According to the Chief Minister, the price of seeds of crops like soybean has come down slightly while the price of sunflower seed remains stable.
The selling price of seeds is also determined by the purchase price of agricultural products by APMC. A difference of about 59.58 percent was seen in the purchase cost during 2023-24 as compared to 2022-23.
The increase in the purchase price of seeds has greatly benefited those farmers who produce seeds in their fields and sell it in the market.