Bengaluru, 23 Nov 

Union Minister Pralhad Joshi said Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has finally awoken and directed distilleries to purchase maize for ethanol production. 

Posting a government notification on X, which reminded distilleries of the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in purchasing maize at Minimum Support Prices (MSP) through the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India/ National Cooperative Consumers Federation of India (NCCF/NAFED), Joshi said, “Finally, Kumbhakarna (Chief Minister Siddaramaiah) has woken up from his slumber.”

In response to Siddaramaiah’s letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said: “I told the media, the State government has failed to follow the SOP clearly issued by the Central government.” 

The government has signed an agreement with the  NCCF and NAFED to purchase maize for ethanol production, he said.  

“Siddaramaiah should stop pointing fingers at the Central government to create confusion among the farmers of the State and hide his failed administration,” he added. 

The letter from the Department of Agricultural Marketing requested all grain-based distilleries in the State to: Place firm Purchase Orders (POs) with either NAFED or NCCF; Release the mandatory 10 per cent advance to the respective agency as per the SOP. Confirm their total maize requirement to enable systematic procurement and supply planning (by 24 November).