Nizamabad: Gunny bags problem arises again

Nizamabad: Though very meagre income, ration dealers are going to lose the amount from selling gunny bags as the grain procurement season is all set to commence.

The grain collected by the government from farmers will be packed in a 50 kg gunny bag and transported to the mill for rice milling. It is customary to store grain generally in a used gunny bag. And this is the reason the ration shops dealers were facing trouble with gunny bags.

The government supplies rice in gunny bags to ration shops and after distribution, ration shop dealers will sell gunny bags in open market. It's the lowest source of supplementary income for the dealers, who use it to run ration shops.

Shortage of gunny bags is every season's issue and the government needs empty gunny bags from ration dealers to collect 10 lakh metric tonnes of grain to be harvested in Nizamabad district.

For the last two years, the government has been purchasing gunny bags from ration dealers through IKP and announced that the proceeds from the sale of gunny bags will be paid to ration dealers. The civil supplies department has directed dealers across Telangana to hand over the gunny bags. But the dealers are not keen to give the bags as the price offered is much lower than that in the open market. Besides, dealers were dissatisfied as the government is yet to pay the amount for the bags sold in the past.

The ration dealers in Bodhan area had already sold gunny bags to private traders, who felt that the authorities are pressurising them to sell gunny bags only to the government.

Civil supply officers supply goods according to the quota of each ration shop and two bags, each weighing 50 kg, of rice will be given per quintal.

A woman dealer in Pitlam mandal, Kamareddy district stated the they have received verbal instructions from revenue authorities to hand over gunny bags to Civil Supplies department after rice distribution. But they didn't inform the rate of each gunny bag, she added.

But a few dealers said that they are not interested in handing over gunny bags to the government despite its orders. 'Private individuals are buying single bag for Rs 27 to Rs 30. Civil Supplies department pays only Rs 18 to Rs 21 per bag.' They noted.

Meanwhile, the dealers, from whom the IKP has been collecting bags in the past, said the money has not been disbursed so far. They said that amount will not be enough to cover ration shop rent, electricity bills, labour and rice transportation costs.