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Maize farmer at receiving end
Maize Farmer at Receiving End, heavy loss to the farmers. Loss Due to Recent Cyclone. The heavy rain which lashed various parts of the State recently due to the low-pressure in the Bay of Bengal has damaged various crops.
The heavy rain which lashed various parts of the State recently due to the low-pressure in the Bay of Bengal has damaged various crops. The farmers of Srisailam and Nandikotkuru Assembly constituencies have suffered heavy loss due to the downpour. In particular, the maize crop was totally submerged resulting in heavy loss to the farmers.
Maize was cultivated in about 65,000 acres in both the Assembly segments. Almost all the produce was soaked in rainwater resulting in huge loss to the farmers. Following representations from various quarters, the State Government has entrusted the responsibility of purchasing maize from farmers to Markfed and Indira Kranti Patham.
The purchasing centres organised by these two institutions would purchase quality maize as well as damaged also. The minimum support price was fixed at Rs. 1310 per quintal. However, the purchasing centres have been refusing to purchase maize if the moisture percentage was 40 per cent. They have fixed the moisture percentage at 14. As a result, the purchases have come to standstill at the purchasing centres.
The farmers express concern over the government decision fixing the moisture percentage at 14. They have no clue when the moisture percentage would come down to 14 per cent. The IKP purchasing centres at Atmakukru, Kothapalli, K o t h a r a m a p u r a m , Nandikotkuru and Pamulapadu have so far purchased only 2,000 quintals. In Atmakuru, only 313 quintals of maize was purchased by KDCMS till Tuesday.
The purchasing has come down drastically in all the 13 centres here. It has been estimated that one lakh quintals of maize was soaked in rainwater in the two Assembly segments. Meanwhile, the middlemen joined the fray to take advantage of the situation. These middlemen who wanted to make fast buck have been offering Rs. 1150 per quintal of maize to the farmers as if they were doing a favour to them.
The farmer, who is caught between the devil and deep sea, is compelled to sell his produce at throwaway price to the middlemen as the government agencies are not purchasing the produce. Though District Collector C Sudarsan Reddy has already written to the State Government seeking permission to buy the maize, nobody knows when the permission would be sanctioned. The farmer in the meanwhile is at the receiving end
