Gadag (Karnataka) (PTI): Former Karnataka Chief Minister and BJP MP Basavaraj Bommai on Tuesday urged the state government to immediately open maize procurement centres and purchase them at a price higher than the Minimum Support Price (MSP) as demanded by farmers.

He said if the demand was not met, farmers would be forced to launch an agitation similar to the one they held for sugarcane.

"Maize is cultivated by farmers across the state covering around 17 lakh hectares of land. The area under maize cultivation is increasing every year. Last year, the total production was 54 lakh metric tonne, and this year too, the production has remained the same. Despite an additional two lakh hectares being brought under cultivation, the yield has not increased proportionately," Bommai said.

He said

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