BRS leaders stage protest demanding cotton procurement in Mahabubnagar

Former Ministers S Niranjan Reddy and V Srinivas Goud staged protests across Mahabubnagar demanding unconditional cotton procurement. They criticised State and Central governments for imposing the seven-quintal per acre limit and accused them of worsening farmers’ distress through poor coordination and delayed action.

Mahabubnagar: Former Ministers S Niranjan Reddy and V Srinivas Goud on Tuesday staged protests at different locations in the erstwhile Mahabubnagar district, demanding that the State and Central governments procure cotton from farmers without imposing any conditions.

Srinivas Goud, along with other BRS leaders, staged a demonstration at Balaji Cotton Mill in Kalwakurthy mandal. Raising slogans against the Congress government, he demanded that the restriction of seven quintals per acre for procurement be scrapped. The Congress government was turning a blind eye to the hardships faced by the farming community, he said.

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“The seven-quintal procurement restriction per acre is unjustified. Farmers have produced huge quantities of cotton this season and will be forced to sell their stocks at throwaway prices to private traders, resulting in heavy losses,” Srinivas Goud said.

Niranjan Reddy staged a protest at SSV Mill in Peddamandadi, Wanaparthy. He said it was not wise on the part of the Central government to impose regulations after farmers cultivated the crops and harvested their fields. From the availability of urea to selling their stocks, the farming community was facing several problems in the State, he said.

The State and Central governments were subjecting farmers to severe distress due to lack of coordination and awareness. Immediate measures should be initiated to bail out farmers from the crisis, he demanded.