Farmers protest against restrictions in procurement of cotton, soy in Adilabad

Traffic on NH 44 came to a halt after farmers in Adilabad staged a rasta roko protesting restrictions on cotton and soybean procurement. The JAC alleged that CCI was not buying cotton at the support price and farmers faced losses due to new rules

Adilabad: Traffic came to a grinding halt on National Highway 44 following a rasta roko staged by a joint action committee opposing restrictions on procurement of cotton and soy produce at an inter-state check post on Friday. Former Minister Jogu Ramanna expressed solidarity with the protest.

Members of the JAC staged a sit in on the National Highway to protest the stance adopted by the Central and State governments in the procurement of cotton and soybean. Following a call given by the JAC, farmers from various parts of the district gathered in large numbers and blocked the traffic. They raised slogans against the two governments.

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The agitating farmers said that the governments were causing trouble to the farmers in the name of regulations in the procurement of crops. They alleged that the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) was not purchasing cotton at the support price in the name of moisture content.

Leaders of the JAC expressed concern that farmers were losing Rs 1,500 per quintal of cotton by selling it to middlemen as they were not getting the support price. They said that CCI buys only seven quintals per acre and the rest of the cotton was being sold by farmers to private traders. They said that various rules were being implemented for the purchase of soybeans.

The farmers said that they were incurring losses in raising the oilseed crop by selling the soybean produce damaged due to rains to private traders as the marketing department was not buying it. They declared that they would continue to struggle until the restrictions in the purchase of crops were lifted.