Telangana: Dal processing mills remain closed, affecting tribal farmers, women in Asifabad

The mills were established to support the farmers who grow pigeon peas and sorghum crops

Kumram Bheem Asifabad: Dal processing mills set up by Union Government in collaboration with the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) on a pilot project basis in both Tiryani and Wankidi were closed due to negligence of officials.

The mills were established to support the farmers who grow pigeon peas and sorghum crops and to provide livelihood to women members of farmer producing companies (FPO) in the two entities in 2017. They were installed spending Rs 8 lakh each under Vanabandhu Kalyan Yojana of ITDA-Utnoor. A mill was processing 500 kilograms of toor dal every day.

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While farmers were able to get a minimum support price for their produce, while women achieved financial empowerment. The women were getting a share in profits generated through selling pulses to government-run hostels. The fine quality pulses evoked a good response from students of the hostels. Around 800 women were members in a group in each mandal.

However, the mills were shut down with officials showing negligence in management of the mills, causing losses to farmers and affecting livelihood of the tribal women for over two years. The beneficiaries requested the government to take steps to revive the mills. They said that their lives were transformed with the advent of the mills for a while.

Officials said that steps would be taken to restart the mills by conducting enquiry into the poor management of the mills. They stated that the exact reason behind the closure of the mills was yet to be ascertained.