ADILABAD: For the past three days, cotton farmers have been visiting the Adilabad district headquarters, forming long queues in front of shops for their turn to purchase RCH 659 cotton seeds, which are reportedly in short supply in the district. On Thursday, after distributing seeds to some farmers, shop owners announced that the stock was unavailable. In response, the farmers protested on the old NH 7 near the Punjab Chowk, staging a rasta roko, which halted traffic.
At the same time, approximately 160 packs of the cotton seeds were being transported in a jeep from the distributor to a dealer shop in Ichoda mandal. Farmers stopped the vehicle and alleged that the seeds were being illegally diverted while they were deprived of their supply despite visiting the district headquarters early in the morning. They also claimed the seeds were being diverted for sale in the black market. The farmers demanded that agriculture officials distribute the seeds to those who came to the district headquarters. Meanwhile, the driver showed waybills proving that the seeds were being transported to farmers in Ichoda mandal. Agriculture officer Pullaiah visited the spot and confirmed that the seeds were meant to be transported to Ichoda. He assured the farmers that more seeds would be transported from the company and distributed to their mandals soon.
Meanwhile, DSP L Jeevan Reddy and other police officers controlled the protesting farmers. They assured the farmers that if the seeds were being transported illegally to the black market, action would be taken. Following this, the farmers allowed the vehicle to proceed, and the police cleared the traffic jam.