NIZAMABAD/HYDERABAD : The agitation by red jowar farmers, which crippled Armoor town with hundreds of farmers reaching the local tehsildar office defying prohibitory orders and police restrictions, continued even as the state government bowed down to the farmers’ protest and announced that it will purchase the produce. As the protest turned into an indefinite hunger strike by evening, agriculture minister P Srinivas Reddy and MP K Kavitha, both representing Nizamabad district, swung into action and announced that the state government will purchase red jowar at Rs 2,300 per quintal at a hurriedly convened press conference in the night.
This, however, did not desist the agitating farmers to leave the place and the protest is going on till reports late came in. The farmers want the government to purchase their produce at Rs 4,500 per quintal.
Farmers started reaching Armoor town since morning and police tried to stop them at several places telling that Section 144 is imposed in Armoor sub-division.Cutting across party lines, farmers who formed a Joint Action Committee (JAC) started to reach Armoor since morning. The farmers were clad in dark blue colour Kanduvas (Shawls). Some of the women also participated in the protest programme and expressed solidarity to farmers.
Initially, they assembled at Mamidipally crossroads where they were stopped by the police. As the numbers grew, police let them of and the farmers’ in a rally reached the local Ambedkar crossroads and from there to the tehsildar office where they squatted on the road. The farmers did not allow politicians or the frontal organisations of political parties to take centre stage and the JAC led the protest. Meanwhile in Hyderabad, bowing to the agitations taken up by the farmers, the State government announced to purchase Red Jowar from Monday at Rs 2,300 per quintal. The Marketing federation (Markfed) centres will be opened on Monday at Nizamabad, Jagitial and Kamareddy to purchase the produce.
Agriculture Minister P Srinivas Reddy and MP Kavitha, briefing media, said that Red Jowar was raised in around 50,000 acres in three districts and the traders were not coming forward to purchase the same due to less rate in the market. As a result, the farmers in three districts launched the agitation. “Markfed will open its centres from Monday in three districts. The last grain of the red jowar would be purchased by the Markfed,’’ Srinivas Reddy said. Red Jowar was mostly used as fodder for the cattle and there was no minimum support price for the same. He pointed that neighbouring Karnataka was paying `1,600 to `1,650 per quintal for red jowar cultivated in Bellary.