Soybean procurement protests continue in Adilabad

Adilabad district is witnessing repeated protests by soy farmers demanding unrestricted procurement. Officials said over 10,000 quintals of soybean have been procured so far, the highest in Telangana, while non-FAQ produce is being rejected as per Union government and NAFED norms

Adilabad: The district continued to witness protests by soy farmers at one place or another at regular intervals, demanding that officials procure soybean produce without restrictions. However, officials said that over 10,000 quintals of soybean produce were procured in the district so far, topping Telangana.

Telangana Markfed officials said that the soybean produce was being procured as per instructions received from the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. They said soybeans categorised as FAQ were already procured in the district. The produce classified as non-FAQ was being rejected for failing to meet the standards of the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (NAFED).

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Some of the instructions imposed by the Union government included registration of farmers for selling soybean produce under the Price Support Scheme (PSS). Officials were instructed to use the Digital Crop Survey for auto-verification of farmers. Central Nodal Agencies or the State must use farmer biometric through Aadhar-enabled POS machines through a mobile app at procurement centres for authentication of genuine farmers.

According to officials, 14,000 quintals of FAQ soybean produce were purchased from farmers so far. The quantum of oilseeds is higher than that procured in any district in Telangana. Meetings were convened with farmer bodies to create awareness about instructions set by the Union government for procurement of the produce before commencement of the process. The procured produce was stored at warehouses of the Central Warehousing Corporation.

Meanwhile, officials claimed that they had written a letter to NAFED urging it to provide relaxation to farmers in selling non-FAQ soybean produce, considering the growing protests by growers. They said that due to high rainfall in the district, the soy crop was damaged and seeds developed moisture and were being rejected by NAFED. They urged the national body to revise the norms.