Tribals continue to depend on middlemen as GCC turns inactive

Srikakulam: Tribals are still depending on middlemen to dispose of their produce as Girijana Cooperative Corporation (GCC) is neglecting its responsibilities. GCC has its district office at Sitampeta in in erstwhile Srikakulam district. Under its control, there are a total 36 GCC depots across the agency in the erstwhile Srikakulam district. These are located at Sitampeta, Palakonda, Veeragattam, Pathapatnam, Meliaputti, Kanchili, Mandasa, Nandigam, Tekkali, Hiramandalam, Palasa andSaravakota mandals.

Procuring products like tamarind, millets, cashew, turmeric, various fruits and different pulses from tribals of agency areas at reasonable prices is the objective behind setting up of corporation. The GCC will sell them in open market. But the GCC is not in position to procure the products from tribes and market the same due to staff scarcity, lack of storage facility and other deficiencies. The proposals to set up storage godowns and cold storages in agency remained on paper.

The GCC has to see that bankers extend loans to tribals at nominal interest to tribals for cultivation of crops, but this is scarcely done. During 2014 to 2019, the then TDP government provided loans to a few tribals but during 2019 to 2024 period the YSRCP government completely neglected this.

In the past, district administration allotted shops at Rythu Bazars to sell forest produce in urban areas directly by tribals, but this has also been neglected.