Farmers torch paddy

KAMAREDDY FARMERS BURN STOCKS OVER 40-DAY PROCUREMENT DELAY

1. Farmers in Isannapalli set fire to paddy heaps after procurement delays stretched beyond 40 days.
2. Farmers alleged officials failed to even complete basic weighing procedures despite repeated appeals.
3. Shortage of lorries, hamalis and fears of unseasonal rains intensified distress among cultivators.
4. Similar protests over delayed procurement have spread across Siddipet, Nalgonda, Suryapet, Warangal and other Telangana districts.
5. The issue has turned into a political flashpoint, with opposition parties accusing the government of failing to ensure timely paddy procurement.

metro india news  I kamareddy

Frustration boiled over in Telangana’s Isannapalli village as distressed farmers set fire to heaps of paddy lying unprocured at the procurement centre after waiting for more than 40 days. Their anger and helplessness erupted into a dramatic protest late on Monday night amid mounting delays in procurement, acute shortage of lorries and hamalis, and growing fears of unseasonal rains damaging the crop. Farmers said they had been forced to guard their produce day and night with no response from officials, pushing them to the brink.

According to farmers, paddy brought to the IKP procurement centre in Isannapalli remained untouched for weeks without even basic weighing procedures being completed. Angry farmers alleged that despite repeated appeals, officials failed to respond, forcing them to resort to extreme protest by torching portions of the paddy stock.

“We have been waiting for nearly a month. They have not even weighed the crop. Traders outside are also refusing to buy now,” one farmer said during the agitation.

Farmers said they were spending day and night guarding their produce in scorching heat while also fearing sudden rain and hailstorms that could destroy the grain. They alleged that procurement centres lacked even minimum facilities and accused authorities of making announcements without implementing them on the ground.

Senior officials, including District Civil Supplies Officer Venkateshwarlu, DRDO Surender and other civil supplies staff, rushed to the village after learning about the incident. Furious farmers confronted the officials and demanded to know how long they were expected to continue waiting at procurement centres.

Officials later assured farmers that procurement delays were caused by shortage of transport vehicles and hamalis. They promised that the issue would be resolved soon and appealed to farmers to maintain calm, following which the protest was withdrawn.

The agitation in Kamareddy comes amid rising protests over procurement delays in multiple Telangana districts. Farmers in Siddipet district staged a dharna on the Thimmapur highway demanding immediate lifting of paddy stocks. Protesters complained that lorries were not arriving to transport grain from procurement centres, leading to massive traffic congestion on the national highway.

Similar protests have also been reported from Nalgonda, Yadadri-Bhuvanagiri, Suryapet, Adilabad, Warangal and Narayanpet districts in recent weeks. In some places, farmers reportedly burnt paddy sacks and staged road blockades demanding immediate procurement.

The issue has now snowballed into a state-wide political flashpoint. Opposition parties have accused the Congress government of failing to ensure timely procurement despite bumper production this season. BJP and BRS leaders have both criticised delays in lifting paddy from centres and alleged that farmers are being forced into distress sales.

Facing mounting pressure, Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy recently directed district collectors to complete paddy and maize procurement by the end of May and warned officials against negligence. The government has also announced temporary storage arrangements and additional transport deployment to speed up operations.

Civil Supplies Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy stated that Telangana witnessed record paddy production this season, with cultivation spread across nearly 65 lakh acres and output estimated at 141 lakh metric tonnes. He admitted that procurement delays occurred partly due to shortage of labourers from Bihar and West Bengal who usually participate in loading operations.

Despite official assurances, anxiety continues to grow among farmers waiting at procurement centres across Telangana, with many fearing heavy losses if rains damage the stocks lying in the open.