Soya purchase centres will be finally functional from Monday after a long wait. Farmers are happy and express the hope that they would be paid minimum support price (MSP) of ₹3,050 per quintal.
However, as conditions apply for the MSP hopes appear to be bleak to get rate given the high moisture percentage following the recent rains.
To ensure the MSP purchase centres are being opened to be run under Primary Agriculture Cooperative Societies (PACS) at Yedigi, Salura, Renjal, Donkeswar and Kammarpally, said in-charge Collector A. Ravinder Reddy. He said authorities had made all arrangements to purchase soya at the centres at the Government announced rate.
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Soya crop, which normally comes to the rescue of farmers in their financial hardships, has hit them hard dashing all their hopes following the low price per quintal being offered in the market. Government declared a minimum support price of ₹3,050 per quintal before the beginning of the harvest. Middlemen are offering between ₹2,200 and ₹2,800 depending on the quality.
Surprisingly, rate has not increased and remains same as last year despite the net sowing area and yield getting reduced. This year until the recent rains crop quality was good. Yield was low with deficient rains and pest attack. “We are getting just 2 to 3 quintals per acre as against the normal of 6 to 7 quintals. Rate is all-time low. We invested between ₹15,000 and ₹18,000 per acre,” points out Manik, a farmer in Hunsa village of Bodhan mandal.
According to Sreekar, an agriculture officer at District Agriculture Office, in the current season soya was sown in 1.04 lakh acres against 1.40 lakh acres last year.
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Some farmers, meanwhile, ploughed the crop in the initial stages when it contracted white mosquito pest (filaria) and have gone in for other crops - mostly paddy. Generally, the crop comes in low quantities in Morthad, Kammarpally and Sirikonda mandals compared to other mandals owing to nature of soil.