Bengaluru: Farmers’ organizations in Karnataka have urged the state government to introduce incentives for women who marry men from farming families, citing growing social challenges and economic uncertainty among young farmers.
The demand was part of a detailed memorandum submitted to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah during a pre-Budget consultation meeting held at Vidhana Soudha earlier this week.
Proposal to Incentivize Marriages
Farmer leaders said many young farmers are struggling to find marriage partners due to financial instability, calling it an emerging social issue in rural areas. To address this, the organizations proposed a government-backed scheme under which a woman marrying a farmer’s son would receive a fixed deposit of ₹1 million (approximately USD 120,000).
The memorandum also called for interest-free loans, guaranteed by the state, to help such couples start agricultural or allied small-scale businesses. Additionally, the groups demanded a 20 percent reservation in government jobs for women who marry farmers’ sons.
Calls for Policy and Legislative Changes
The organizations urged the state government to prioritize agriculture in the upcoming Budget and introduce long-term reforms to reduce uncertainty in the farming sector. Key demands included withdrawing amendments to the Land Reforms Act, strengthening the APMC Act to protect farmers’ interests, and repealing the Cattle Slaughter Prohibition and Protection Amendment Act enacted by the previous BJP government.
They also sought statutory status for the State Agricultural Price Commission, arguing that permanent legal authority would ensure effective implementation of its recommendations.
Opposition to Proposed Central Policies
Farmers’ groups asked the state government to formally declare in the legislative assembly that it would not implement proposed central laws, including the Electricity Act 2025, Seeds Bill 2025, and the National Framework Policy on Agricultural Marketing.
They further demanded the creation of a ₹200 billion (approximately USD 2.4 billion) revolving fund to guarantee Minimum Support Price (MSP) for crops. The government, they said, should directly procure staples such as paddy, ragi, jowar, pulses, oilseeds, and millets at MSP rates.
Insurance, Land Rights, and Sugarcane Pricing
The memorandum also called for amendments to the Revenue Act to ease land title issues for Bagar Hukum cultivators and urged the extension of crop insurance coverage to all crops, with compensation for losses due to drought, excessive rainfall, and other natural disasters.
Farmer leader Kuruburu Shanthakumar highlighted discrepancies in sugarcane pricing despite recent announcements of additional payments. He called for a technical committee to review pricing mechanisms, noting that Karnataka ranks among the top states in farmer suicides.
Another leader, Badagalapura Nagendra, said more than 20 issues were raised during the meeting, including demands for greater investment in minor irrigation projects. He added that the Chief Minister responded positively to the concerns.
Farmers’ organizations are now awaiting the presentation of the state Budget to see which of their demands will be addressed.