Incessant rains in Krishna and NTR districts since Saturday have caused paddy, maize and jowar to sprout. Most of the grains are rain-soaked and the farmers are trying to dry them, while it is raining continuously.
The farmers are worried that if the rains continue, they might not even get their investments back. They said the traders were not ready to purchase the rain-soaked foodgrains.
In the Rabi season, the farmers cultivated paddy, maize, jowar, mirchi and turmeric crops in Krishna and NTR districts. Due to heavy rain for the past five days, most of the produce got wet though they were covered with tarpaulin sheets.
Paddy was cultivated on over 2.50 lakh acres in Krishna and NTR districts, while jowar and maize were cultivated on around 50,000 acres. For the past few days, the farmers have been harvesting the crops and drying them to sell them at the YSR Rythu Bharosa Kendras. But untimely rains have dashed the hopes of the farmers.
The farmers are trying to dry their crops by spreading them on the roads and farm fields. However, the unabated rain soaked them several times. Due to increased moisture levels, the traders will hesitate to purchase their produce, the farmers said.
Paddy, maize and jowar farmers are drying their produce on the roads, covering them with tarpaulin sheets. Almost all roads in Nunna, Pathapadu, Kundavari Kandrika, Ambapuram, Kotturu Tadepalli, Nandigama, Chandarlapadu, Mylavaram, G Konduru and Tiruvuru areas in NTR district are covered with foodgrains.
Same is the case in Surampalli, Mustabad, Purushottapatnam, Gannavaram, Avanigadda, Penamaluru, Kankipadu, Avanigadda, Thotlavalluru, Pamidimukkala and other areas. Around 1,500 acres of maize, 500 acres of jowar and 250 acres of paddy crops were destroyed in this district due to the untimely rains.
Meanwhile, the farmers found that paddy and jowar were sprouting and were worried about their sale. If the moisture content increases, they might not get the Minimum Support Price (MSP). In addition to that, the government has not started the enumeration of rain-affected crops in both the districts.
On Tuesday, Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy had directed the officials concerned to start enumeration of crop loss and take the steps to purchase the rain-soaked grains. However, the officials have not started any steps in this regard, the farmers said.
Arepalli Venkata Basavaiah, hailing from Nunna, said his paddy grains sprouted on Tuesday. If the rains continue, the colour of the paddy will change and the millers will refuse to purchase it, he said.
Kolli Koti Reddy, another farmer, said his jowar produce also sprouted and the grains were filled with green leaves. The government has not opened procurement centres to purchase maize and jowar, due to which the farmers suffered huge losses, he complained.
‘Millers will purchase rain-soaked grains’
NTR District Civil Supplies Corporation Manager Venkateswarlu told ‘The Pioneer’ that the State government had directed all millers to purchase the wet grains. However, MSP will depend on the moisture content. As of now, there have been no directions from the government regarding the moisture content, he added.
He said that following the direction of the State government, 202 paddy procurement centres were opened in NTR district. If farmers take the wet grains to the RBKs, they will be procured. As of now, 450 metric tonnes of paddy has been purchased, he added.
TDP stages dharna at Nunna RBK
Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leaders, along with the farmers, staged a dharna demanding that the government purchase the wet paddy, maize and jowar as per the MSP, in front of the YSR Rythu Bharosa Kendram at Nunna near Vijayawada on Wednesday. During the procurement process, the State government should make exemptions regarding the moisture content to benefit the farmers, they demanded.
Speaking on the occasion, TDP Krishna District Vice-President D Subrahmanyam Raju and Telugu Yuvatha Vijayawada Rural mandal president Gampa Srinivas Yadav said that the government should start the crop loss enumeration.
