Farmers in Telangana Demand Immediate Grain Procurement
Farmers across Wanaparthy district are up in arms over delays in grain procurement. On Tuesday, protests broke out in Veepanagandla, Pebbair, and Atmakur mandals as farmers demanded the government buy their harvested paddy without further delay.
In Thoomkunta village of Veepanagandla mandal, farmers confronted Tahsildar Lakshmi. They urged her to open a local Indira Kranti Patham (IKP) procurement center. They said they’d worked hard for over two months, but authorities failed to collect their grain. With no proper storage, their paddy is drying out and losing quality, causing serious financial losses.
At Subhash Chowrasta in Pebbair, BRS party leaders joined the farmers in protest. They blamed government officials for ignoring their responsibilities. Recent unseasonal rains made things worse by soaking the stored grain, leaving farmers distressed.
In many villages, the procurement process has fallen apart. Farmers say officials and staff are slow and unresponsive. Despite waiting for weeks at procurement centers, their coarse paddy remains uncollected. Rains continue to damage the grain, and in some cases, wash it away completely.
At the Arepalli procurement center in Atmakur mandal, farmers staged a protest due to the lack of weighing machines. Losing patience, they gathered outside the district Civil Supplies Office at the Collectorate, demanding action. They questioned why their grain had been left untouched for days, even though they had already brought it to the center.
The farmers accused the administration of unequal treatment, saying there were no proper arrangements for coarse paddy. Some said they had been waiting for over a month with no progress. With rains threatening again and no transport trucks in sight, their frustration grew.
Protesters warned they would not back down until senior officials arrived and gave them firm promises. After mounting pressure, Civil Supplies authorities responded by sending five trucks to the Arepalli center to begin grain collection.
