Unrest over low cotton price

Irate farmers attacked Adilabad market yard office following the dip in the cotton price. Low prices of cotton produce, has been created unrest in the farming community.

MLAs and Ministers claim that 60 percent of the farmers were getting Rs 4,100 per quintal but the ground reality is quite different.

A majority of the farmers were just getting between Rs 3,500 to Rs 3,700 after deducting Rs 41 per one percent extra moisture percent than permissible 8 percent moisture content by the private traders while weighing the cotton produce.

Farmers are disappointed with low price than MSP Rs 4,100 per quintal and regretted that some of the farmers not even getting the investment cost.

It is learnt that police arrested seven farmers and two others who attacked the Adilabad market yard office two days ago and remanded them to judicial custody. The farmers arrests gave the opportunity to the opposition parties to blame the ruling party and project the government anti farmers.

But ruling TRS leaders say that it was not the farmers but Telugu Desam activists who orchestrated the attack and provoked some farmers to follow suit in the Adilabad town on November 2.

The TDP and BJP parties jointly organize maha dharna on the farmers’ problems at the Adilabad market yard on the same day.Minister Jogu Ramanna said farmers can directly come to him or officials concerned it they have any problem with regard to low prices of the cotton produce and they will take the issue to the notice of the Chief Minister K.Chandrasekhar Rao and try to do justice to the farmers.

He said the incident of attacking Agriculture market yard office was not accidental by the farmers but TDP leaders behind it.

Adilabad II – town  Inspector Venkata Swamy said cases also booked against the TDP leaders for organizing the Maha dharna without taking police permission and taking out rally violating police act 30 which was in force in the Adilabad town. 

He said seven farmers and two others were arrested and remanded to the judicial custody in connection with the attack on Market yard office and there are many others to be arrested in the incident.

There are allegations that private cotton traders reduced the price to provoke the farmers on the direction of TDP and BJP leaders on the occasion of TDP dharna.

State to purchase cotton from Next yr

The state government will purchase cotton produce from the farmers from next year onwards through state agencies Nafed and Markfed to benefit the farmers and to ensure remunerative price as the CCI officials are not doing justice to the farmers and Central government is not extending help to the cotton farmers.

Efforts are being made to this effect by the ministry of Marketing led by T. Harish Rao and the issue was taken up and thoroughly discussed in the wake of farmers were not getting MSP Rs 4,100 announced by the Central government since CCI is not purchasing cotton from the farmers citing high moisture content than the permissible 8-12 percent moisture content percent in the cotton.

This problem arose in major cotton growing districts including Adilabad, Warangal and Karimnagar in the state. 

Minister Jogu Ramanna said the Nafed and Markfed have their own staff and machinery and godowns to start commercial cotton purchases but it was not possible for this year and said certainly they will purchase cotton through Nafed and Markfed to do justice instead depending on central government and CCI.

‘State government is of the opinion to strengthen its own agencies to purchase cotton by next year and they were doing exercise for this’, said Minister and added that so far total 71,798 quintals of cotton and in that CCI has purchased only 453 quintals in this Kharif season in the district.

According to official sources, the CCI has opened 14 cotton purchasing centre but the cotton purchases has taken place only at five centres in the district. Farmers are not selling their cotton to the CCI due to imposing restriction on the percent of   moisture content in the cotton produce.

Farmers accuse CCI of scam