Farmers forced to sell maize below MSP due to late procurement centres

Former Minister Harish Rao said delayed maize procurement forced farmers to sell at low prices, causing losses, and credited protests for opening centres while highlighting KLIS’s role in boosting cultivation and improving agricultural conditions in Siddipet.

Siddipet: Former Minister T. Harish Rao on Saturday said delays in opening maize procurement centres have caused significant losses to farmers, with nearly 25 per cent of the produce already sold to middlemen.

Speaking after inaugurating a maize procurement centre at the Siddipet Market, he said farmers were forced to sell maize at Rs 1,700 per quintal to middlemen, well below the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of Rs 2,400.

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Stating that maize has been cultivated across 10 lakh acres in the State, Rao urged farmers to sell their produce at government procurement centres to secure better prices.

He alleged that the Congress government opened the procurement centres only after sustained pressure and protests by the BRS.

Highlighting the impact of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS), Rao said the area under paddy cultivation in Siddipet constituency had increased from 8,000 acres to 80,000 acres following the construction of multiple reservoirs.

He added that prior to the formation of Telangana, even fodder had to be procured from Andhra Pradesh to meet cattle needs during summer. However, he said, the KLIS transformed agriculture in the region, enabling farmers to cultivate two crops annually.