From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network

Bangalore, Jun 14: The B S Yeddyurappa regime will be buying 98,177 electronic weighing machines and give them to merchants and traders in all Agricultural Produce Marketing Committees to ensure fair prices to farmers for their produce.

This was announced by Karnataka’s  Agricultural Marketing Shivaraj S Tangadagi at a news conference in Bangalore on Monday.

The minister said the traders in almost all APMCs had opposed the Government’s decision order to install machines. To enforce the government’s order, a decision has been taken to purchase 98,000 electronic weighing machines and give them all traders at APMCs across the State.

According to the minister, there were 98,177 traders or dealers at AMPCs in the State and the cost of each machine would be Rs. 15,000. Action would be taken against traders who refuse to buy machines and install them at the AMPCs.

To begin with, machines would be given to traders at APMCs of Bangalore division in two months. Two companies have been asked to supply machines at discounted prices.

Weighing of commodities by electronic machines would help to check malpractices by traders, he said.

Tangadagi, who also holds sugar portfolio, said 11 cooperative sugar factories which had been closed on account of financial loses, have been given on lease for 30 years for private parties.

The government has repaid all loans borrowed from banks by these factories, he said pointing out that there were 55 sugar factories, including cooperatives ones, in the State.

Eight proposals have been received from private firms to set up sugar factories in the State. So far, no proposal has been approved. The State High Level Clearance Committee headed by Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa would approve the proposals.

A proposal was also submitted to the Chief Minister on establishment of cane development offices in 13 cane growing districts, he said.

Asked about the prices offered by factories to growers, he said a committee headed by S A Patil, former vice-chancellor of Agricultural University, Dharwad, has been constituted to look into
the issue.

Cane growers have been demanding 60 % share in the profits earned by factories in selling by-products of the cane.

The production of cane in the state was recorded at 228 lakh tonnes in 2009-10 and 150.80 lakh tonnes in 2008-09 while the production of sugar was 15.69 lakh tonnes and 24.55 lakh tonnes in respective years.