KTR urges Telangana govt to speed up procurement from farmers

Hyderabad, May 5 (IANS) Bharat Rashtra Samithi working president K.T. Rama Rao on Tuesday urged the Congress government to wake up from its “deep slumber” and take immediate steps to ensure the procurement of farmers’ produce across Telangana.

He criticised the state government for its complete inaction despite large quantities of paddy, maize, groundnut, and other crops already arriving at market yards.

KTR visited multiple procurement centres in the undivided Warangal district on Tuesday to assess the ground situation.

According to a party statement, he inspected centres at Yashwanthapur in Jangaon constituency, Ukkal Society in Geesukonda mandal of Parakala constituency, and the Narsampet market yard. During his visits, KTR interacted with farmers and listened to their grievances in detail.

Farmers expressed severe distress over the delay in procurement, stating that even after nearly a month, the government has failed to provide clarity. With procurement stalled for over 15 days, they said they are facing mounting losses and hardships. Farmers also alleged that repeated appeals to Markfed officials and the district administration have gone unheard.

KTR spoke to Markfed Managing Director Srinivas Reddy and questioned the government’s approach and the agency’s failure. He demanded that the government clearly state whether it intends to procure the crops or abandon farmers to their fate.

KTR slammed the Congress government for its failure to procure maize, stating that it has not even met minimum procurement levels. While the government claims to have procured 6 lakh metric tonnes, KTR said the ground reality tells a different story, with farmers struggling to sell their produce.

He alleged that the government is deliberately avoiding procurement to escape paying the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of Rs 2,460 and the promised bonus to farmers. KTR further accused the government of diverting nearly Rs 23,000 crore raised in the name of Markfed towards other purposes, leaving the agency financially crippled and unable to carry out procurement operations.

“The Congress government has completely failed the farming community. If it has any sense of responsibility, it must immediately release Rythu Bandhu funds and ensure procurement of all crops without any conditions,” KTR said.

He warned that if the government continues to neglect farmers, the BRS will intensify its agitation and lay siege to the government across the state.

KTR also reminded that Rahul Gandhi had announced a Farmer Declaration from Warangal with several promises, but there has been no progress in its implementation. He assured farmers that the BRS will stand firmly with them and continue to fight until every grain produced is procured and farmers receive justice.

–IANS

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