BRS leaders demand CCI centre in Khammam market to procure cotton

The farmers explained to the BRS leaders that the traders and officials denied procuring cotton without even examining the cotton they brought to the market.

Khammam: The BRS ranks held an agitation in Khammam agricultural market over the problems faced by cotton farmers in the district and demanded the State government to come to the rescue of the farmers.

The party district president, MLC, Tatha Madhusudhan, former MLA Sandra Venkata Veeraiah, former ZP chairman Lingala Kamal Raju, former market committee chairman Gundala Krishna and others visited the market on Tuesday.

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The farmers explained to the BRS leaders that the traders and officials denied procuring cotton without even examining the cotton they brought to the market. Madhusudhan questioned the authorities as to why the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) procurement centre was not set up in the market.

The MLC demanded the officials to explain about the quantity of cotton the traders have bought so far and how much cotton the CCI has bought. Later the BRS leaders met district Collector Muzammil Khan and submitted a petition to him seeking to address the problems faced by the farmers.

Speaking to the media Madhusudhan said that the condition of cotton farmers was very miserable in the current season. Cotton farmers were not able to sell the produce at the right price and were not getting minimum support price due to non-availability of CCI officials in the market.

He demanded the government to set up a CCI procurement centre immediately in Khammam agricultural market for the welfare of farmers. Cotton farmers who have suffered losses due to untimely rains and cyclones across the State should be supported.

The government should give a bonus of Rs 1000 per quintal in addition to the Central government’s support price to the cotton farmers who have suffered losses. The national agricultural market (E-NAM) should be implemented immediately in all agricultural markets.

For the convenience of farmers, subsidised canteen should be restored in the agricultural market as it was in the past. Investigation should be conducted into the ginning mills run by the CCI, Madhusudhan demanded.

The party leaders S Hariprasad, Bellam Venugopal, Unnam Brahmaiah, Veeru Naik, B Veeranna, local corporators Thota Veerabhadram, Mateti Nageswara Rao, Pasumarthi Rammohan and others were present.