Bengaluru, 8 Nov

Asserting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has consistently worked for the welfare of farmers, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi said Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's attempts to blame the Centre for sugarcane price issues are not only "unjust" but also a "cruel joke".

In a post on X, Joshi shared a letter he has written to Siddaramaiah and said the Central government under Modi has been committed to the welfare of the farmers.

On Friday, Siddaramaiah made an announcement fixing the procurement price of sugarcane at Rs 3,300 per tonne, yielding 11.25 per cent recovery in response to the farmers protest in northern districts seeking a fair remunerative price (FRP) for their produce. On Thursday, Siddaramaiah had written to Modi seeking an urgent appointment to discuss "the serious situation" and urged him to hike the FRP and Minimum Support Price (MSP).

"The powers for enforcing the provisions of the Sugarcane Control (Order), 1966, to ensure timely payment to the farmers within 14 days have been delegated and vested with the State governments,” he said.