ADILABAD: The procurement may be complete on paper, but across the erstwhile Adilabad district, farmers are still waiting for their harvest to move.
At grain procurement centres, rows of jowar bags lie under tarpaulin sheets as farmers wait for lorries to transport them. Though the government increased the number of procurement centres, shortage of transportation and lack of godown space have delayed the lifting process, forcing farmers to spend days guarding their produce amid uncertain weather conditions.
Some sit under trees through the day, while others sleep inside temporary tents arranged by officials, unwilling to leave behind the grain they spent months cultivating. Across Adilabad, Nirmal and Mancherial districts, delayed lifting of paddy, jowar and maize stocks has slowly turned procurement centres into makeshift waiting camps for anxious farmers.
Md Azam, a farmer from Umdam village, brought his jowar to a procurement centre three days ago. Though the purchase process had been completed, he continued waiting under a tree beside stacks of gunny bags, hoping the produce would finally be transported on Monday.
Farmers from Bhurnoor and Tharoda villages narrated a similar ordeal. Staying under temporary tents arranged by marketing officials, they said they had been stranded at the market for the past three days after labourers weighed and packed their produce into gunny bags.
Some farmers told TNIE that they were purchasing gunny bags on their own after the government announced assistance of `22 per bag. To avoid delays, they said they were buying the bags directly and submitting bills so the amount could later be credited to their accounts.
The transportation crisis is not limited to Adilabad district alone. In Nirmal district, shortage of godown space has delayed maize transportation, while paddy procurement is also witnessing delays in Mancherial district.
Speaking to TNIE, Markfed district manager Mahesh Kumar said, “The state government has not fixed any target for jowar procurement. We will purchase produce from all farmers.”
Appealing to farmers not to worry, he said, “Farmers should bring their produce according to the village-wise schedules prepared by officials to avoid inconvenience at procurement centres.” He added that so far 71,000 quintals of jowar had been procured and around three to four lakh gunny bags were being supplied regularly without shortage.
Explaining the storage issue, Mahesh Kumar said, “Authorities are identifying godown facilities in Yavatmal district of Maharashtra and agreements will soon be finalised to store jowar there.”
Adilabad market committee chairman B Srikanth Reddy appealed to farmers to bring their produce to procurement centres according to schedules issued by agriculture officials to avoid problems. “Every last grain brought to the centres will be purchased. Farmers need not worry,” he said.
Cops seize 17 tonnes of illegally transported jowar
Neeradigonda police on Sunday seized 17 tonnes of jowar allegedly being transported illegally into Adilabad district. According to police, lorry driver-cum-owner Sardar Singh had purchased the jowar from Andhra Pradesh at lower prices and was transporting it to Adilabad to sell it at higher rates. A case has been registered and further investigation is underway