Farmers of amchur (dried mango peels) are in a deep trouble as traders are not coming forward to purchase their produce and even if they purchase they do not pay remunerative price.
As a result, heaps of amchur are piling up and farmers who have come from various parts of the State are sitting around them waiting for traders to purchase produce at the agriculture marketyard here which is one of the major amchur markets in the country and a bigger one in the State. There are only two amchur markets-Hyderabad and Nizamabad in the State. Therefore farmers come from all over the State and many prefer Nizamabad market to Hyderabad. However, there are only three traders in the market and they allegedly made a cartel to rig the price in their favour. The efforts made by marketyard chairman K. Nagesh Reddy to bring rival traders proved futile over a period of time.
Amchur market starts towards the end of April and continues through May every year. Farmers prepare amchur with mangos that drop from trees during hailstorm. The produce fetches them different rates depending on the quality. Sour one fetches greater price than sweet one.
At least 7,000 quintals of produce comes to market every season. Farmers are getting Rs.17,000 per quintal this year as against Rs.25,000 last year. Traders pretend as if they are purchasing the product at a higher rate when they notice market-yard officials in the vicinity but lower the price once the officials leave the market , allege farmers.
Bodiga Sudarshan of Vadoor village in Neredigonda mandal in Adilabad district brought four quintals of dried mango peels and has been waiting for traders to purchase it for the last one week. “I am tired of waiting for traders who are reluctant to give good price. We are not getting even the costs,” he said.
Another farmer Bala Mallaiah of Bandi Lingapur of Siricilla taluq who brought eight quintals lost hope to get remunerative price. He says ‘beats’ are not held days together. At least 1,000 farmers bring the produce to the market every year.
Mr. Nagesh Reddy told The Hindu that he had been making efforts to ensure proper price to farmers since 2004, but to no avail. The amchur has no government support price, he says.
Amchur (dried mango peels) farmers are in deep trouble as traders are not coming forward to purchase their stock
