Farmers stage protest seeking MSP for paddy

Farmers staged a protest in front of rice mills at Vemulapalli village in Nalgonda district on Sunday, demanding that their paddy be purchased at the minimum support price (MSP). They alleged that traders had formed a syndicate, pressuring them to sell their produce at significantly lower price.
Farmers expressed frustration over the sluggish pace of paddy procurement at the local centres with many stocks being repeatedly rejected because the moisture content exceeded the permissible limits. As a result, they said, their produce was being unfairly discarded.
The protest led to traffic disruption on the Addanki-Narketpally Highway. Vehicular movement came to a halt along the entire stretch. The farmers accused rice millers of resorting to delaying tactics in purchasing paddy at below market rates and demanded that they buy paddy at MSP. The unrest was part of a broader statewide movement in which farmers are demanding fair prices for their crops. They have called on the government to intervene to ensure that rice millers purchase paddy at the MSP and provide immediate relief to the agricultural community. A large number of vehicles were stranded on either side of the road as the farmers parked their tractors on the highway.