KARIMNAGAR/RAJANNA-SIRCILLA/NALGONDA: Even as the paddy procurement process is yet to pick up pace, unseasonal rains have come as a curse for farmers across erstwhile Karimnagar and Nalgonda districts, damaging their produce at the purchase centres on Thursday night and early Friday.
The paddy stocks were exposed to heavy rain in market yards and procurement centres across Karimnagar and Rajanna Sircilla districts. The farmers alleged that there were not enough tarpaulin sheets available to protect the crop from rain.
In Boppapur village in Rajanna Sircilla district and Veenavanka mandal in Karimnagar district, farmers dried the paddy stock to reduce the moisture content. However, untimely rains on Thursday and Friday left the grain soaked. With limited tarpaulin sheets, farmers struggled to cover the heaps and urged the authorities to expedite procurement to prevent further losses.
Overnight rains also lashed several places in Nalgonda district, soaking hundreds of quintals of paddy at procurement centres.
The harvested paddy spread out to dry at various IKP (Indira Kranthi Patham) centres in Thipparthy, Chityala, Kanagal, Chandur and other mandals was damaged in the rain.
Farmers expressed their ire over officials failing to procure their produce because of transportation problems and a shortage of hamalis (porters). “Because of this, our paddy is being exposed to both the sun and the rain. Some of the paddy has even started to germinate.
Lack of official supervision over procurement has forced them to stay at the purchase centres for days,” said a farmer while urging the government to also procure the damaged paddy.
