JAGTIAL/HYDERABAD/ KURNOOL: Furious with the government for the inordinate delay in procurement of Kharif paddy, farmers, under the banner of Jagtial Rythu Aikya Vedika, took out a procession from the bus station to the District Collectorate on Friday, even as the police sent away trucks that were arriving with paddy from Kurnool in Andhra Pradesh to sell it at purchase centres in Telangana citing that the State already has enough stocks of paddy.
The rally in Jagtial was only a manifestation of the simmering rage in the farmers who were suffering on account of untimely rains, bumper production and delay in procurement, which have only made them lose heavily. With the State producing more than 1.3 crore tonnes of paddy in the just concluded Kharif season, there was a sudden glut in the market and the FCI was unable to lift the entire stock in the absence of any direction from the Centre.
The farmer leaders who led the rally demanded the immediate procurement of their paddy and maize, which were being damaged due to intermittent rains. After reaching the Collector’s office, they staged a dharna and refused to call off their agitation unless they got a categorical assurance from the Collector on the procurement.
The farmers brought with them samples of the harvested crop. They demanded that the district administration take action against rice millers who were exploiting the farmers and urged the officials to ensure minimum support price (MSP) for the produce.
Though police officials who were stationed there tried to disrupt the dharna, the farmers put up stiff resistance. A minor altercation also took place between farmers and the police, prompting a ryot named Mallesham to douse himself in diesel and threaten suicide. However, police personnel and other farmers prevented Mallesham from taking the extreme step.
Jagtial DSP R Prakash, who rushed to the spot, assured the farmers that legal action would be initiated against the erring rice millers and asked them to submit petitions regarding any wrongdoing. TS turns back 20 paddy-laden trucks from Andhra Pradesh
As the farmers were protesting in Jagtial, trucks carrying paddy from Kurnool to Telangana were stopped at the inter-state border at Pullur Toll Plaza in Vundavalli mandal of Gadwal district and were sent back.
While the lorry drivers claimed that Telangana officials turned them away without mentioning any reason, the officials of State Police and Civil Supplies departments said they asked the trucks to go back since Telangana already has enough stocks of paddy to be procured and any additional paddy from the neighbouring State would only accentuate the problem.
According to sources, another reason for sending the trucks back was that millers and traders from AP were selling paddy, which they procured from local farmers for lesser prices, at an attractive price in Telangana. At least 20 paddy-laden trucks which tried to cross the AP-TS border were sent back in the past two days. These trucks were transporting the produce to various parts of TS from Kurnool and Anantapur.
Vundavalli Deputy Tahsildar Shiva Kumar said that the paddy-laden trucks were stopped as part of a procedure to prevent the illegal sale of paddy.