Maize farmers in Telangana face distress over slow procurement

Maize farmers in Telangana are facing distress due to delayed procurement, falling prices, and lack of infrastructure, leading to protests across districts as farmers demand more procurement centres, faster processes, and relief from mounting losses

Hyderabad: Just like paddy farmers, maize farmers across Telangana are facing severe distress due to delays in procurement, poor infrastructure, and falling market prices, triggering protests in several districts.

Despite a bumper crop cultivated in over 12.94 lakh acres, with an estimated yield of 39 lakh metric tonnes, the Congress government made no advance preparations for procurement. As a result, maize procurement has remained slow. Only 1.45 lakh metric tonnes of maize have been procured so far from over 28,000 farmers. With open market prices dropping below Rs 1,700 per quintal, farmers are being forced to rely on the government’s minimum support price of Rs 2,380 per quintal.

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Farmers alleged that procurement centres are insufficient and located far away, forcing them to incur high transport costs. Strict moisture norms and delays in weighing have left produce lying in the open for days. Due to unseasonal rains, the crop got damaged in many areas where farmers were forced to wait for several days.

Under these conditions, protests were reported in erstwhile Khammam, Medak and Warangal districts, among others. Farmers are organising road blockades demanding more centres and faster procurement.

A shortage of gunny bags has worsened the crisis. Farmers are now forced to buy bags at higher prices, incurring losses. At Gadwal market, nearly 50,000 bags are pending weighing due to a lack of labour and infrastructure.