Farmers stage mega dharna at Guntur Mirchi Yard

Guntur: Chilli farmers on Tuesday staged a dharna at Guntur Mirchi Yard to mount pressure on the government to purchase chillies at a cost of Rs 10,000 to Rs 12,000 per quintal.They expressed concern over the fall in prices of chillies from Rs 14,000 per quintal to Rs 5,000 per quintal causing heavy losses.

Highlights:

• Demand that the govt should purchase chillies at Rs 10,000 to Rs 12,000 per quintal through Markfed
• Govt urged to constitute price stablisation fund of Rs 5,000 cr to help farmers
• The price of chillies went down steeply from Rs 14,000 per quintal to Rs 5,000 per quintal within two months
• A compensation of Rs 50,000 is sought for those who suffered losses due to spurious seeds

Farmers were getting Rs 8,000 for superfine variety.Farmers under the aegis of AP Rythu Sangham and Koulu Rythu Sangham staged a dharna on either sides of the Guntur Mirchi Yard on Tuesday.They sat in front of the Mirchi Yard gates and flayed the government for the fall in prices.

They demanded that the government should immediately purchase chilli stocks through Markfed from the farmers and extend a helping hand. They warned that they would continue the agitation until the government purchased the stocks. The angry farmers raised slogans against the government.

Addressing the gathering, AP Rythu Sangham general secretary P Peddi Reddy said that due to delay in Markfed intervention, the farmers were selling the chillies at lower price and incurring heavy loss. He pointed out that due to the fall in prices, the farmers were not getting their investment back. He demanded that the government should pay a compensation of Rs 50,000 to the farmers who suffered losses due to use of spurious chilli seeds.

He felt that there is a need to set up price stabilisation fund to extend helping hand to the farmers. He criticised that due to failure of the government, traders were selling spurious seeds.Rythu Sangham vice-president V Krishnaiah demanded that the government set up price stabilisation fund of Rs 5,000 crore immediately to extend helping hand to the farmers.

He felt that the government should have started chilli purchases through Markfed at the beginning of the season.He pointed out that the tenant farmers suffered huge losses with the price of chillies going down. He urged the government to take steps to purchase chillies at Ongole and Palnadu region of Guntur district.He urged the district administration to check irregularities in Guntur Mirchi Yard.

He wondered why the government failed to respond when the farmers were demanding a better price right from the beginning of the season.A.P. Tenant Farmers Association state president N Ranga Rao pointed out that the tenant farmers pay lease amount in advance and make investment to cultivate the crop.

They even hired water tankers to save the crop. However, due to fall in chilli prices, they incurred huge losses. He demanded that the government should bear the cold storage charges and help ryots store their produce.When the farmers staged the dharna at Mirchi Yard, Guntur Mirchi Yard chairman Mannava Subba Rao and yard officials were not present at the office.

As RTC buses, lorries and other vehicles were stranded on either sides of the mirchi road, the police diverted the traffic.It may be mentioned that the price of chillies fell steeply from Rs 14,000 per quintal to Rs 5,000 per quintal within two months.Sub-standard variety is being sold at Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,000 per quintal. Surplus production and less demand also contributed to the reduction in prices.