Procurement crisis: Farmer falls at the feet of police officer during a protest in Jangaon

Farmers in Jangaon and Mahabubabad districts staged protests over delays in paddy and maize procurement, alleging official negligence and shortage of transport vehicles. A farmer falling at police officers’ feet during a protest in Vadlakonda highlighted the growing distress among cultivators

Jangaon: Under the Congress government’s rule, the condition of farmers has worsened as they are often forced to fall at the feet of officials for the procurement of farm produce. In an incident at Vadlakonda in Jangaon district, a farmer fell at the feet of police officers who arrived to disperse their protest. It may be noted that similar incidents have taken place in different parts of Telangana this season.

The farmers pleaded with the police not to interfere, explaining that they had resorted to agitation because the government failed to procure paddy. They staged a protest on the Jangaon-Husnabad main road at the district headquarters with paddy soaked in rain that had begun to sprout.

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They said the failure of officials to procure paddy and the non-availability of trucks for loading forced them to stage the protest and urged the district Collector to respond to their plight. A video clip of the incident went viral on social media.

Similarly, at Thorrur in Mahabubabad district, farmers who brought maize to the market yard and PACS procurement centres were troubled by delays in procurement and the slow unloading process. For the past two days, nearly 100 tractors have been parked at the PACS office on Annaram road, while farmers were forced to spend day and night on the roadside braving the intense summer heat.

According to farmers, even though they brought maize to the market two months ago, the weighing of the produce has not been completed fully. Weighing began to some extent over the last three days and has been moving very slowly.

As the tractors remained stranded for days, vehicle owners were charging extra rent from farmers, which they said was an additional burden. Already struggling with input costs and uncertainty over prices, these additional expenses were becoming unbearable, the farmers complained.