TDP demands purchase of corn through Markfed

Khammam: Sattupalli TDP MLA Sandra Venkata Veeraiah here on Tuesday alleged that the government had failed to purchase the corn from the farmers through Markfed. The MLA along with TDP leaders visited the Khammam Agriculture Market here.

Speaking on the occasion, Venkata Veeraiah alleged that since the government had failed to purchase the corn from the farmers through Markfed and through cooperative societies, the farmers were facing huge loss by selling their produce at Rs 1,100 per quintal to the middlemen.

Due to unexpected rains, many farmers who cultivated paddy, corn, mango and chilli crops faced huge loss. Instead of deploying the officials to estimate the loss to the crops and bailing out the farmers from crisis, the government is behaving negligently towards them, he said.

“The government has to pay about Rs 350 crore to the insurance companies because of which no insurance company is coming forward to estimate the loss to the crop due to unseasonal rains,” he pointed.

The government is boasting that it is distributing input subsidy of Rs 4,000 per an acre to each farmer. But no effort was made to ensure support price to farm produce, he said.

He demanded that the government to pay Rs 1,550 per quintal of corn and purchase the produce through cooperative societies and through Markfed immediately.  TDP leaders Talluri Hanumantha Rao, Swarna Kumari and Rythu Sangham leaders were present.