Bengal gram farmer repents for heeding Telangana govt advice

Bengal gram farmer repents for heeding Telangana govt advice
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Highlights

Short-weighing, denial of MSP, refusing to lift Bengal gram on the grounds of high moisture content, collection of hamali and coolie charges from farmers and traders forming into a syndicate are plaguing the farmers at various market yards in the district.  

Adilabad: Short-weighing, denial of MSP, refusing to lift Bengal gram on the grounds of high moisture content, collection of hamali and coolie charges from farmers and traders forming into a syndicate are plaguing the farmers at various market yards in the district.

This year the MSP for Bengal gram was discouragingly put at Rs 5,050 a quintal as against the last year's Rs 8,000. Last year, it also touched Rs 10,000 a quintal mark. The farmers are repenting for having raised the Bengal gram crops on the advice of the State government, which asked them to shift to Bengal gram from the cotton.

Speaking to The Hans India here on Tuesday, a farmer from Talamadugu, Narender, said that the farmer was duped to the tune of Rs 800 a quintal at the Adilabad market yard as farmers were not evincing any interest to lift the commodity at not more than Rs 4000 a quintal as against the Rs 5050 a quintal. He said that the farmers were paying the price for heeding to government's advice.

A farmer from Tamsi mandal, Lachchanna,said that the Markfed officials were refusing to lift the commodity if the moisture content was 12 per cent or more. They were advising the farmers to dry the Bengal gram in their yards and fetch them to the market yard for sale.

But the farmers are not bent on taking the commodity back as it would incur them an expenditure of Rs 3000 towards transportation charges. Unable to bear with the transportation charges, the farmers are making a distress sale of their commodities.

The officials did not insist on mositure content last year unlike this year. The officials are underweighing bengal gram at the rate of one kg for every 50 kg weighed. It puts the farmers loss to Rs 100 for every bag.

A farmer Rajanna expressed his ire on officials for collecting hamali and coolie charges from them besides under-weighing the commodity. He alleged that the officials were siding with the traders, whom he accused of cheating the farmers.

The traders diktat runs in the Ichchoda and Boath markets as they organized themselves into a syndicate ignoring the MSP fixed by the State government. A farmer from Boath Raju Yadav put the difference in support price paid by the traders and the one fixed by the state government would be around Rs 1000 a quintal. Moreover, he said that there was no action on the Markfed officials even if they fail to pay the MSP to the farmers.

Another farmer Sekhar Reddy alleged that the farmer was not able to recover the investment because of the exploitation by the traders.

Vexed with the exploitation, the farmers have been demanding the State government to order the Markfed to lift the Bengal gram at Rs 8,000 a quintal. Otherwise, the same fate would befall on the Bengal gram farmers as that of the cotton farmers.

Talking to The Hans India, Markfed DM Nageswar Rao said that the purchase of Bengal gram was going on as per the rules and warned traders of serious consequences if they violate the rules.

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