NALGONDA: For farmers in Nalgonda district, the long wait at procurement centres is no longer just about delayed grain lifting, but also about mounting unofficial costs and alleged deductions as procurement continues to move slowly.
Farmers allege that transportation delays, shortage of hamalis and slow unloading at rice mills are forcing them to bear additional expenses and accept deductions imposed by millers.
N Veeraiah, a farmer from Tipparthy mandal, alleged that farmers who question the deductions are harassed by millers, who allegedly leave loaded trucks waiting for days without unloading the grain. “We are being forced to hand over our grain at whatever price and weight the millers dictate because we have no other option,” he said.
The shortage of hamalis has emerged as one of the key hurdles affecting procurement operations in the district. Most of the 115 rice mills in Nalgonda depend on labourers from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal to unload and stack grain bags.
However, a mill owner from Miryalaguda said the shortage worsened after many workers returned to their native villages during the Assembly elections in their states and are yet to return.
To manage the situation, mill owners said labourers from local areas and other regions are now being brought in to handle unloading work at mills.
Another mill owner, B Janardhan, said the growing stacks of paddy bags require more hamalis to lift and stack them, further delaying the unloading process. “The labourers are also struggling to work in the intense summer heat,” he added.
Meanwhile, farmers say the prolonged delays have become more worrying amid intense summer heat, sudden gales, unseasonal rains and forecasts of an early monsoon.
Ch Yadagiri from Chittaluru village said, “I brought 20 quintals of grain to the procurement centre at Chetlachennaram in Kanagal mandal a month ago, but it has still not been weighed. Officials failed to arrange adequate staff and transport facilities despite increased grain production.”
V Damodar Reddy from Chetlachennaram village said strong winds and sudden weather changes were blowing away tarpaulin sheets covering grain stocks, exposing the produce to rain.
Officials said around 1,000 lorries are currently being used for paddy transportation, adding that procurement slowed further after the closure of eight major rice mills with a handling capacity of 56,000 metric tonnes over alleged misappropriation of government rice.
Even as farmers continue waiting for their grain to be lifted, allegations have surfaced that some millers are purchasing cheaper grain from neighbouring states.
Farmer union leaders alleged that grain from other states was being brought into the district at lower prices, affecting local procurement. In response, District SP Sharath Chandra Pawar said special check-posts had been established at Wadapally and Nagarjuna Sagar border points and vehicles transporting grain from other states were being sent back.
District collector B Chandrashekhar said officials had been directed to complete the process within 10 days.
