Inattentive Agricultural Market Committees troubling farmers

Karimnagar: The Agricultural Market Committees (AMC), which should provide basic facilities for the farmers in the market yards, are not fulfilling its responsibilities. Neglecting its duties like providing protection to the farmers’ produce, construction of roads and platforms etc, the market committees are keen on collecting cess only. 

Without proper roads in some areas, transporting their produce to the market yards has become a hectic task for the farmers. There is no facility at the market yards to ripen fruits like mango. For that matter, some market yards even don’t have storage place to keep vegetables, fruits and other items that farmers bring in to sell. 

There is a need to construct ripening chambers in Jagtial and Peddapalli districts. There is only one ripening chamber in Jagtial market yard. Cold storage units and platforms need to be constructed in Jammikunta and Peddapalli market yards. 

There are 34 agricultural market committees in the undivided Karimnagar district. From April 2018 to March 2019, against the target of Rs 17.75 crores income from the seven market committees in Karimnagar, Rs 7.39 crores only have been raised so far. 

In Peddapalli, the target income of seven market committees for the financial year is Rs 11.26 crores and actual earning so far is Rs 687.25 crores.
In Jagtial district, the target of 13 agricultural market committees is Rs 12.65 crores and the income so far is Rs 10.52 crores. For the eight agricultural market committees in Rajanna Sircilla district’s target is Rs 7.64 crores and the income is Rs 7.19 crores till date.

Each market committee is responsible for preserving livestock. They have to conduct five veterinary camps every year but not even one camp was conducted in the united Karimnagar district during this year. Veterinary department staff are showing elections as the excuse for not conducting the camps. 

By Bhagyanagar Bhaskar Kumar