Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar has directed officials to dismiss the secretary of a self-help cooperative society after crop insurance claims filed by 93 farmers from Ittanahalli village in Kalaburagi district’s Jewargi taluk were rejected because the premiums collected from them were not deposited with the District Central Cooperative Bank.
Shivakumar issued the direction on Tuesday after a farmer from Ittanahalli told him that the affected farmers had paid their crop insurance premiums to the society but later received messages stating that their insurance claims had been rejected. The deputy chief minister examined the list of farmers who had made the payments and instructed officials to act against the society secretary for alleged negligence.
The incident came up during Shivakumar’s visit to the Yeshwanthpur Agricultural Produce Market Committee market in Bengaluru, where he met onion, garlic, potato and coconut growers, traders and market-yard owners. He asked farmers about insurance payments, crop losses, weighing practices, commissions, marketing costs and the time taken to receive payment for produce.
A farmer from Chitradurga district’s Challakere taluk told Shivakumar that he had paid ₹6,500 per hectare for crop insurance but had received no benefit. Shivakumar directed officials to collect the farmer’s details and examine the matter.
Farmers also told him that low rainfall had reduced onion yields this season. While a hectare would normally produce about 150 to 200 bags, some growers said they had harvested only around 50 bags this year. They also said excessive rain could cause onions to rot in the field, while the returns from taking the produce to market may not cover transportation and other costs.
The farmers compared commission practices in different markets. They said commissions of ₹8 to ₹10 were collected in markets in Kalaburagi, Bidar and Vijayapura, while no commission was collected from farmers at the Yeshwanthpur market. They said this was one reason they brought their produce to Bengaluru.
Shivakumar also questioned traders about payments made to the APMC. One trader said the payment was 60 paise for every ₹100, while another said it was ₹1. He told the traders to inform him if higher amounts were being collected and said action would be taken against those responsible.
The deputy chief minister further directed officials to prevent incorrect weighing when traders purchase produce directly from farmers outside the APMC market. Farmers had alleged that some buyers set a price and then manipulated the weight while collecting produce directly from agricultural fields.
The directions cover both the investigation into the rejected crop insurance claims and oversight of weighing and payment practices affecting farmers who sell produce through or outside the Yeshwanthpur market.
