State government suspends purchase of redgram

Workers threshing red gram crop in Adilabad district. (Source: S. HARPAL SINGH)

Redgram farmers in Adilabad on Thursday staged protest at some places, including Tamsi, Jainad and Ichoda mandal headquarters villages, after the government suspended purchase of their produce at minimum support price (MSP). The market yards at these places had piles of redgram everywhere. According to officials, purchase at MSP, which stood at ₹5,800 per quintal, was suspended as the NAFED and State wing MARKFED had already purchased fixed quantities. For example, the former had purchased 38,000 quintals as decided and the latter 37,000 quintals as per its allotment. But the agitated farmers insisted that the government purchase all the produce. They accused the government of fixing lower quotas for the season and quoting prices from the last season. Meanwhile, those in distress sold their produce to private traders. At Ichoda, farmers sold a quntal for ₹ 4,500, after deciding that the wait for the government to come to their rescue would be futile.