SANGAREDDY: Farmers in the Sangareddy district are alleging that untimely rains and the negligence of rice millers are troubling them. On Friday, they staged a dharna in Ramayampet and Papannapet, demanding the immediate purchase of grain that got wet due to heavy rains in various parts of the district. The protest brought traffic to a standstill, causing difficulties for motorists.
Farmers said that bags of dry grain became completely wet due to the rains. “Instead of sending the dry grains to the rice mills, they were left outside and got soaked,” they alleged. While the process of buying grain at procurement centres has been completed in some parts of the district, farmers in Ramayampet mandal headquarters have not yet had their grain purchased.
While the government claims it will buy wet grain, farmers allege the staff at procurement centres and millers are refusing to purchase grain with moisture content exceeding 16%.
Mallesham, a farmer at the Ramayampet procurement centre, said it had been over a month since he brought his paddy to the centre. “Who would bear the labour costs if the wet bags needed to be emptied, dried, and refilled,” he asked.
Meanwhile, farmers staged a blockade on the Medak-Bodmatpally road at Minpur village in Papannapet mandal. They demanded that the wet grain be purchased at the earliest, citing the negligence of officials and rice millers that forced them to wait for days at purchase centres. Heavy rains in Siddipet and Medak areas over the past two days have caused significant losses to farmers, with paddy getting wet at purchase centres and even being washed away in floodwaters.
It is learnt that farmers in Thogita are particularly affected, with paddy getting wet in most centres. They allege that while district collectors are ordering grain purchases on a war footing, procurement centre staff and rice millers are not heeding these orders.
