Scores of farmers gathered in Mysuru on December 9 to demand that authorities begin paddy procurement at Minimum Support Price (MSP) without delay. The protest was led by Kurubur Shanthakumar, president of the Federation of Farmers Association and State Sugarcane Cultivators Association. Farmers said that although authorities said procurement centres had opened, this was only on paper. The registration process for farmers is still ongoing and actual procurement has not started. This delay is causing financial problems as paddy prices are falling. Shanthakumar said, “The MSP for paddy is ₹2,369 per quintal and is way below the cultivation cost. Such pricing policies push farmers into distress.” He demanded MSP be increased to ₹3,000 per quintal. The farmers also accused private sugar factories of not paying the Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) for sugarcane. They asked the government to act against these factories and demanded a share of profits from sugarcane by-products. Deputy Commissioner G. Lakshmikanth Reddy received the farmers’ memorandum and promised paddy and ragi procurement centres would start working from December 11. He also agreed to hold a meeting with sugar factory management and farmer leaders on December 29 to discuss pending dues and other issues.