Deekonda Ravi Shankar Suryapet

FormerMLA Bollam Mallaiah Yadav has accused the state government of pushing farmers into financial distress by failing to ensure MSP for their agricultural produce. He demanded intervention to prevent middlemen from exploiting farmers and to ensure fair prices for their crops.

Speaking during a visit to Chilukur mandal of Kodad constituency on Tuesday, where he inspected agricultural fields and the paddy procurement situation, Yadav alleged that farmers were facing huge losses due to the decline in paddy prices.

He pointed out that paddy prices, which were earlier around Rs 4,200 per quintal, had dropped to nearly Rs 3,200. He accused traders and middlemen of taking advantage of farmers’ difficulties and exploiting them at the procurement centres.

He further alleged that farmers were being cheated in the name of weighing discrepancies and grain impurities, with deductions of nearly 2.5 kg per bag, causing additional financial losses. Farmers whose paddy had been damaged by unseasonal rains were also being exploited by middlemen under the pretext of moisture content, he said. Demanding immediate relief, he urged the government to provide crop loss compensation and drought relief to farmers in drought-affected mandals. He also demanded that compensation be announced without delay for crops damaged by the recent cyclone.

Yadav called upon the government to ensure Minimum Support Price, eliminate the middlemen system and curb irregularities in paddy procurement.