Hanumakonda: Why are the farmers angry?

Hanumakonda: Squeezed from all sides, farmers are angry. Yes, despite the Rythu Bandhu, financial assistance they receive from the State government, farmers are teetering on the brink of destruction. This is about a frustrated farmer who is unable to entangle himself from the vicious web of procurement system and millers. The 56-year-old Chandupatla Sathendar Reddy, a farmer from Lakshmipuram under Parkal mandal, is one among many farmers who got stuck in this vicious cycle. After having gone through the trauma of selling his paddy this season, he burst into tears and said that he was always at the mercy of millers for the last four years.

Continuing his forefathers' occupation, Reddy also engaged in farming for the last three decades. After harvesting 77 quintals of paddy from his 4 acres, he had gone through the whole process of selling it at the procurement centre. This is where his tale of worries has begun. He took a token from the authorities at the procurement centre. With no vehicle available at the centre, instead of waiting he shifted his produce in a tractor to the miller allotted by the authorities.

Citing high percentage of broken rice and poor grain quality etc, the miller deducted more than 12 kgs per quintal. As a result, Reddy had to lose nearly 9 quintals from his 77 quintals of paddy harvested from his field. Speaking to The Hans India, Reddy said, "The miller exploited my situation. Getting rid of produce at the miller is a humongous task these days. Not all the millers are like that but farmers like me have become victims of this vicious circle. Later, I spoke to the Hanumakonda District Collector Rajeev Gandhi Hanumanthu, who in turn assured me justice.

"After three decades of farming, I feel betrayed. No more I would like to do farming," Reddy, who did his graduation from Kakatiya Degree College, said.

"A farmer going to the extent of leaving his profession will be no good for the society," All India Kisan Federation (AIKF) State joint secretary Peddarapu Ramesh, said, demanding the authorities to protect the farmers from the clutches of millers and middlemen.