Paddy farmers have faced an unforeseen problem in Nellore district this season as they are not able to get remunerative prices for their produce with the rice millers not coming forward to offer minimum support price at the paddy purchase centres.
Though there were a few problems in getting water supply initially, the farmers raised paddy in over 1.76 lakh acres with most of it concentrated in the Penna delta areas like Kovur and Alluru.
Despite the average yields per acre of cultivation, the farmers hoped for better prices so that they would not incur losses. Their expectations of good prices because of lower yields also went wrong.
As the season was drawing to a close, the farmers turned panicky and started selling the produce in the fields itself without waiting to take the produce to the purchase centres to claim MSP. This had turned to the advantage of the dealers and the representatives of the millers, who were offering low prices.
Alluru Kishore Reddy, a farmer from Pottepalem, said they had not anticipated the problem this season as the officials said necessary arrangements had been made for better prices at the purchase centres throughout the district.
“But the problems have cropped up and there are no good prices for the farmers. Millers are not cooperative because of which the dealers are buying our paddy at low prices. We have no option but to settle for this and we cannot wait till we get Rs. 12,350 MSP per putti (850 kg),” Mr. Kishore told The Hindu .
He had cultivated paddy in over 20 acres at Pottepalem village near Nellore. The yield was 35 bags (each bag 40 kg) per acre due to lack of adequate water supply and unfavourable weather.
Mr. Kishore said this had become a recurring problem but this time the farmers had to sell the produce in fields itself at far lower prices. He said they would have waited if there was any hope of getting MSP in the near future.
For the farmers, lack of remunerative prices was indeed a major blow what with their financial conditions already turning grim considering the high interest loans they had taken from private persons.
The cost of cultivation also rose to anywhere to Rs. 30,000 per acre.
