Poor infra causing big loss to paddy farmers

Paddy is getting damaged in procurement centres

The Telangana government's record paddy procurement for MSP (minimum support price) has failed to save farmers from incurring losses due to a glut-like situation in the market.

With no adequate infrastructure facilities available in the government procurement centres for purchasing, transportation and storage of paddy stocks, farmers are forced to sell their produce for prices lower than the MSP to private players.

The unseasonal rains during the procurement season every year are adding to the woes of farmers. Paddy is getting damaged in procurement centres due to lack of tarpaulins to protect stocks from rains. This apart, there is a shortage of gunny bags and hamalis for loading and unloading of stocks and trucks for transportation.

All these factors are forcing farmers to sell their produce to private traders for prices below MSP instead of taking the risks at government procurement centres for want of MSP.

In the recent rabi procurement, the state government procured a record-high of 90 lakh tonnes of paddy at the MSP out of estimated production of 1.35 crore tonnes. Farmers had to sell 45 lakh tonnes to private traders and rice millers with no adequate facilities in the government procurement centres. The state government had planned to implement regulated farming two years ago to avoid excess sowing of any particular crop, especially paddy, but backtracked later fearing resistance from farmers.

Although the government urged farmers not to go for paddy this kharif to avoid glut-like situation in the market, resulting in crash of prices below MSP, it did not make much impact with paddy sown area witnessing higher levels as usual.

Official sources in agriculture department said, “The data gathered from all districts until August 18 shows that paddy was sown over an area of 39.40 lakh acres in the state this kharif against

44.62 lakh acres sown last kharif. With more than one month left for kharif to end, the crop sown area is expected to touch last year's level again. The government encouraged farmers to sow cotton instead. But cotton was sown in

50.24 lakh acres against

58.60 lakh acres last year.”

The crop sown area of jowar, red gram, black gram, groundnut, castor, soybean and sugarcane have registered lower than targeted levels as farmers preferred paddy over them.

SEVERAL FACTORS are forcing farmers to sell their produce to private traders for prices below MSP instead of taking the risks at government procurement centres for want of MSP.