Irked over the sharp fall in procurement price of red chilli, agitated farmers staged a massive protest at Enumamula agricultural market here on Monday demanding an end to the “exploitative tactics” of errant traders and remunerative price for their chilli produce.
Some infuriated farmers damaged several weighing machines at the market yard during the protest, sources said.
A group of farmers staged a sit-in on the premises of the market yard alleging that the errant traders were offering a low price in the range of ₹11,000 to ₹14,000 per quintal of red chilli when the most sought after Teja variety of the commodity is commanding an average price of ₹17,200 per quintal in the current season.
They further charged the traders with adopting dubious tactics by trying to procure the commodity at a low price by citing “low quality.”
Several distraught farmers recounted their months of toil in raising the chilli crop, facing the severe pest attack and the vagaries of nature, during the sit-in protest.
The market officials intervened and invited some of the aggrieved farmers for talks to resolve their grievances.
Even as talks were underway, a group of agitated farmers turned furious and allegedly damaged a few weighing machines on the premises of the market yard, triggering tension. The protest brought the transactions at the market yard to a halt.
The local policemade elaborate security arrangements at the entrance of the market yard to prevent untoward incidents.
