Middlemen, traders cheating us: Farmers

Nellore: Farmers are up in arms against the state government for not procuring paddy being harvested during the current season though procurement centres opened few days back.

They alleged that middlemen and traders have been offering Rs 14,000 for one Putti (850 kg) of paddy as against MSP of Rs 16,660 fixed by the government since there is no facility for farmers to store the harvested paddy.

The farmers also alleged that the middlemen are also demanding 100 kg more for every Putti in lieu of moisture and also imposing a condition that they will make payment only after three months.

Speaking to this newspaper, former legislator Katamreddy Vishnuvardhan Reddy alleged that farmers were becoming scapegoats in the hands of middlemen and rice traders because there is no godown facility to store paddy.

“Another issue being faced by the farmers is that they are forced to invest almost two times more than usual on the crop because of steep increase in the prices of fertilisers and pesticides apart from labour costs.

For instance, Urea is being sold for Rs 400 in open market as against Rs 266 at Rythu Bharosa Kendra (RBK). Similarly, potash rate has been increased to
Rs 1,750 as against Rs 750 in the past,” Vishnuvardhan Reddy alleged.

Referring to the inability of some farmers in recording the extent of paddy cultivation under e-Crop booking system to ensure MSP, he appealed to the government to find out an alternative system to procure paddy and offer MSP.

He urged the government to buy the entire quantity of paddy cultivated by farmers through purchase centres and save them from the clutches of middlemen. He also underlined the need to make payments without any delay.

Incidentally, crops were raised on 5.70 lakh acres of land during the Rabi season and paddy share in the cultivation is around 80 per cent.