Nagarkurnool: Congress seeks government clarification on paddy procurement

Nagarkurnool: The Congress party leaders from Kollapur on Wednesday demanded the State government to expedite the paddy procurement process in the constituency and help the farmers relive from the hardships and sufferings at the paddy procurement centres.

Senior Congress leader Chintalapally Jagadeeshwar Rao, as part of 'Kallaloki Congress' programme visited the paddy procurement centre at Janumpalli village in Koder mandal of Kolhapur constituency and interacted with the Paddy farmers to know the problems faced by them at the procurement centres.

"Lakhs of Paddy farmers with heaps of paddy grain at procurement centres are waiting patiently in the hope that the government will come and procure their produces by paying Minimum Support Price (MSP). But, what we are seeing today instead of procuring paddy, both the TRS government in Telangana and BJP government at Centre are playing dramas without taking farmer's welfare initiative.

They are putting the farmers in a dilemma and playing politics. This is causing fear among the famers and many are selling their produce to the private traders at throw away prices and incurring huge loss. The Congress party is demanding the TRS and BJP governments to stop playing dramas and come to the rescue of the farmers, or else the Congress party will take up a massive agitation until both the government's procure the paddy from the farmers," said Jagdeeshwar Rao.

Congress leaders interacted with farmers of Janumpalli village and they were told that their paddy grain is getting spoiled due to rains and moisture causing losses to the farmers.

"We are told that the authorities are inordinately delaying in the paddy procurement process. The situation is really miserable. Particularly, farmers in remote villages are caught unaware as to when the government will procure their paddy. They are not even sure if the government will procure paddy or not, because every day they are seeing different news versions in media. We want the State government authorities and the local leaders to assure the farmers of procurement," said Congress youth leader Rangineni Abhilash.

Various Congress leaders including Koder mandal president Shantayya, mandal working president Puttapaga Kiran, district SC cell president Nagendram, SC cell vice president Adi Kommu Dhanayya, Janumpalli village president Poritti Venkat Reddy, mandal chief leaders, Congress activists and others participated in the programme.