IKP workers' hand seen exploitation of farmers

Jagtial: The farmers in the district are at the receiving end as the IKP staff are colluding rice millers in exploiting the farmers in paddy procurement. The rice millers are robbing farmers as the IKP staff, allegedly encourag millers to over-weigh the paddy harvested by farmers last kharif season. The District Collector assured to investigate the role of the officers, sparking a fear among IKP staff.

Many BJP leaders in Jagtial district have repeatedly brought to the notice of the district MLAs that the IKP staff and officials have committed corruption and irregularities in the procurement of grain.

Now the officials and the staff were worried as Jagtial Zilla Parishad told an all-party meeting on Monday that a correctional inquiry would be held. The district witnessed an unprecedented level of cultivation, with 3.80 lakh tonnes of paddy reaching government procurement centers during the kharif season as against 2.55 lakh metric tonnes of paddy produced last year.

Although the farmers were happy with the arrival of 1.25 lakh metric tonnes of grain more than last year, their hopes were dashed by the actions of IKP staff and millers. IKP officials delayed paddy purchases, exploited farmers in the name of wastage.

Farmers have had to work harder to sell than they have harvested the paddy. In addition, the Central government announced that it would not buy paddy. Now farmers were panicked over the sale of paddy in the districts as the State government too said it would not buy rasangi paddy.

Paddy was procured with an additional weight of 7 kg per quintal. Farmers across the district sold 3.80 lakh metric tonnes of grain, while thousands of tonnes of grain was credited to the rice mills' account in the name of over-looking.

Farmers in the district were demanding a full investigation be carried out on acts of the millers and justice should be done to the farmers.