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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Joy of bumper paddy yield remains short-lived-T Karnakar Reddy

Joy of bumper paddy yield remains short-lived-T Karnakar Reddy

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published Published on May 9, 2014   modified Modified on May 9, 2014
-The Hindu
 

Farmers are again at the receiving end due to delay in procurement

NALGONDA (Andhra Pradesh): The delight of getting a good paddy yield during the season was short-lived as the farmers had much difficulty in selling their produce and the unprepared and short-staffed district administration failed to stop millers from exploiting farmers in the district.

Farmers cultivated paddy in more than 2 lakh hectares, highest in the recent past and second only to Karimnagar in Telangana. Following heavy rains in October, the Agriculture Department estimated that the farmers would take up paddy cultivation in more than 2 lakh hectares six months ago. There is ample time to make arrangements for paddy procurement, but officials say that they could not make arrangements properly as they had been caught up in election work.

Root of problem

Of the over 10 lakh tonnes of yield expected, the millers procured 3.80 lakh tonnes, while 331 government procurement centres procured just over 1.50 lakh tonnes.

Government agencies like IKP, Civil Supplies Corporation, District Cooperative Marketing Societies had to sell the paddy being procured by them to millers, who were chosen by the district administration. Here lies the whole problem.

Faulty machines?

The millers delay the unloading of paddy sent by government agencies showing various reasons like lack of porters, poor quality of paddy and others due to which the farmers are caught for 15 to 20 days in government agencies set up markets.

Speaking to The Hindu, Chileveru Chandraiah, a tenant farmer from Lakshmipuram village of Thipparthy mandal, said that he had brought the paddy to the market 20 days ago, but is yet to sell his produce.

Saying that many like him were spending days in the market, he said that this had encouraged his peers to approach the millers directly where the paddy is purchased immediately and the purchase price is about Rs 100 less than MSP Rs 1,345 a quintal.

The moisture content in the paddy is allowed up to 17 per cent, but the moisture checking devices used by the millers are erratic which shows more than 17 per cent for even properly dried up paddy.

Case filed against miller

A farmer filed a case against a miller at Vemulapally police station during last kharif season as he caught the miller using the faulty moisture checking machine.

Most millers are accepting paddy having up to only 16 per cent moisture, against the government stipulated 17 per cent and they cut the price of 1 kg at each point increase in moisture in a 70-kg bag.

Rain damage

The short-staffed Legal Meteorology Department, with only five members on the staff, is not in a state to check these machines as the district has just 270 rice mills.

Meanwhile, all the government procurement agencies set up markets in open lands in the neighbourhoods of villages due to which the paddy was swept away following rain.

These procurement centres do not have paddy tarpaulins to protect the harvested grain from rain. Adding to the woes of the farmers, the millers and government agencies are refusing to purchase wet paddy.

A farmer leader from Valigonda, Kandala Bal Reddy, said that the loot of farmers is going on unabated due to a nexus between millers, politicians and officials which has left the innocent farmers to suffer losses.

 


The Hindu, 8 May, 2014, http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/andhra-pradesh/joy-of-bumper-paddy-yield-remains-shortlived/article5986637.ece


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