Farmers stage protest over rice mill’s refusal to accept paddy

Farmers in Sircilla staged a protest with a paddy-loaded lorry, alleging that rice millers refused to accept their paddy due to high moisture content. After a delay of five days, the issue was resolved, and the paddy was unloaded at another mill

Rajanna-Sircilla: Farmers staged a protest with a lorry loaded with paddy bags in front of the Yellareddypet Tahsildar office on Monday, protesting against rice millers’ refusal to accept the paddy, citing high moisture content.

Farmers from Venkatapur had been allocated Rajarajeswara rice mill in Gollapalli. While some farmers transported their paddy to the mill, the owner refused to unload it, claiming the moisture content was 22 percent.

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After waiting for five days, the farmers staged their protest by parking the paddy-loaded lorry in front of the Tahsildar office, continuing for about an hour. Upon receiving information, DSO Chandra Prakash rushed to the spot and assured the farmers that action would be taken against the rice mill, including issuing notices.

Later, the lorry with the paddy was moved to the nearby Sri Lakshmi Venkateswara Agro Industries. Surprisingly, when the paddy’s moisture was checked, it was found to be 18 percent. The mill owner was convinced and instructed to unload the paddy.

DSO Chandra Prakash said that notices would be sent to Rajarajeswara Industries for not unloading the paddy for the past five days. He also stated that the mill management had failed to respect official orders, and instructed officials not to send any more paddy to the mill.