KHAMMAM: Delay that was caused in the process of lifting of paddy from Indira Kranthi Patham centres to the rice mills has resulted in heavy loss to paddy farmers following the onset of the rainy season.
In some places, farmers were kept in wait mode by procurement officials for over a month, and now this damage has occurred.
About 1,200 tonnes of paddy placed in 75 centres at various mandals was hit by the rain.
The government had opened 285 procurement centres in 22 mandals of this district and the paddy lifting was going on in Kallur, Penuballi, Julurpad, Vemsoor, Sattupalli and Tallada mandals. Yet, the scarcity of lorries due to the lockdown turned out to be a curse to the farmers in ten mandals.
The affected mandals are Kusumanchi, Mudigonda, Chintakani, Wyra, Tiruamlayapalem, Raghunathapalem and Nelakondapalli. These mandals witnessed rainfall on June 3 and 4.
In Kusumanchi, there existed 20 lifting centres. Some 50 tonnes of paddy was damaged in the rain. The situation in Nelakondapalli mandal with 12 lifting centres was also the same. At least 80 tonnes of the produce has been damaged in these centres.
About 100 tonnes of paddy placed in Wyra Farm Market has been damaged by the rain.
Bharatiya Kisan Morcha state president K Sridhar Reddy, who visited the market, said, “The negligence of the government turned out to be a curse to the farmers. Sprouts are coming from the paddy kept in sacks in the market due to the rain. Some farmers were kept waiting for more than one month before officials came forward to lift the paddy”.
He said that the millers are making the payment only after the procured paddy is reached to their mills. The millers are rejecting damaged paddy. He urged the government to lift the paddy from the farmers and make full payment to them. The farmers should not be penalized for the fault of the government, he said.
