BJP leaders making meaningless statements on 'adjustment politics': Minister Ramalinga Reddy
Bengaluru: Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy called the BJP leaders a confused lot making haphazard statements, mocking the recent outburst by BJP MP Pratap Simha and former MLA CT Ravi alleging that there was a compromise between the BJP and the Congress.
The minister, who addressed reporters in the city, said, “The BJP leaders are terribly disappointed by the defeat in the recent Assembly elections. They are also unhappy that their party colleagues have caused their defeat and, as a result, are speaking unthinkingly.”
Referring to MP Pratap Simha's angry words, Reddy said, “I doubt that the MP knows what he is saying, while talking about 'adjustment politics'. It would be advisable for the senior leaders of the BJP to look into the matter.”
He further said that the Central government was not owned by the BJP. “The government is of the people, it is only that the BJP is currently in power. The Congress government in Karnataka need not receive the permission of the BJP government at the Centre for any scheme that we plan or implement.”
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Consumers feeling the heat of rising tender coconut prices in Karnataka
Bengaluru: The cost of tender coconuts has skyrocketed in Karnataka, with retail prices now ranging between Rs 50 and Rs 60 per coconut. In parts of North India, prices have even touched Rs 80 to Rs 100. This price hike is reportedly attributed to a combination of extreme temperatures in Northern India and lower yields in Karnataka, which has been facing its own heatwave.
Maddur, the largest market for tender coconuts in India, has seen average wholesale prices fluctuating between Rs 38 and Rs 50 per coconut over the past three months. Retail prices are higher and depend upon distance from key markets such as Davangere, Tumakuru, Mandya, Hassan, and others as reported by Deccan Herald on Saturday.
During June and July of this year, tender coconuts were available for around Rs 35 in Karnataka, the country's leading coconut producer. However, prices have spiked due to a variety of factors. According to the state government's online agriculture marketing information website, Krishi Marata Vahini, wholesale prices have risen by at least Rs 10,000 per 1,000 coconuts compared to last year.
V. Rajannab, Deputy Director of the Tumakuru APMC Yard, attributed the supply disruption to the "heatwave conditions of the summer of 2024," explaining that farmers could harvest only 30% to 40% of their expected yield. He told the news outlet that the increased demand from North Indian states has further driven up prices in the local market. Nearly 60% of Karnataka's tender coconuts are shipped to North India, with states like Jammu and Kashmir and Gujarat now seeking supplies, he added.
Officials from the horticulture department have suggested that the high price of ball copra could also have impacted the supply of tender coconut. “The price of ball copra has more than doubled in the last three months, going from Rs 8,000 to Rs 18,000 a tonne. There is a general feeling that the price could go further high, which is why most of the farmers are not harvesting tender coconuts,” Horticulture Deputy Director Kadiregowda was quoted as saying by DH.
However, there is some hope for price relief in the near future. With copious rains this monsoon, the yield is anticipated to improve, which could further help stabilise the market and bring prices down in the coming weeks.
