Khammam maize farmers hit hard by procurement delays

Maize farmers in Khammam district are struggling due to the State government’s failure to establish adequate procurement centres despite the Centre’s directive. Only a fraction of the promised centres have opened, and procurement has yet to begin, forcing farmers to sell maize at prices far below the support price.

Khammam: All is not well with maize farmers in Agriculture Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao’s own district Khammam.

Farmers and farmers’ associations are alleging that despite the Centre’s directive issued on March 20 to set up 31 maize procurement centres across the district through MARKFED, the State government failed to establish procurement centres at many places. It stands as a testament to the government’s negligence towards the farming community, they complained.

---

According to CPI (M) affiliated Telangana Rythu Sangham district secretary Bonthu Rambabu maize was cultivated in about 1.81 lakh acres in the district. The farmers’ associations demanded the government to set up 54 procurement centres but the Centre confined the number of centres to 31.

Nonetheless, only 10 to 12 centres have been opened across the district and where the centres are set up, procurement is yet to commence despite protests by farmers. As a result the farmers are resorting to distress sales by selling maize for Rs 1,600 to Rs 1,700 per quintal as against the support price of Rs 2,400 per quintal, he noted.

Chintakani, Bonakal, Konijerla, Mudigonda, Raghunathapalem mandals produce the highest volume of maize. In Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka’s Madhira constituency one centre each at Nagulavancha of Chintakani mandal and at Bonakal mandal headquarters are set up while no procurement has been established in Mudigonda mandal, Rambabu said.

It seems that the government does not want to procure maize given the fact that tenders for gunny bags or transportation have not been invited to date. Neither the Deputy Chief Minister nor the Agriculture Minister has responded to the plight of the maize farmers.

In addition to that, restricting maize procurement to 26.40 quintals per acre is causing great loss to farmers as the yield per acre stands at 40-55 quintals per acre. If the MARKFED procures only 26.40 quintals per acre the farmers are compelled to sell the remaining produce to traders or middlemen at the price they offer, the Rythu Sangham leader explained.

Rambabu demanded the Congress government to lift the procurement limit of 26.40 quintals per acre immediately and purchase every grain harvested by farmers at the support price.