Farmers on Tuesday staged a dharna here demanding payment of the pending amount for the paddy procured by the State government and compensation for the spurious seeds of paddy and maize in different parts of Krishna district.
The farmers under the aegis of the AP Rythu Sagnam and AP Kowlu Rythu Sangam (APKRS) gathered at the Koneru Centre where they raised slogans highlighting their plight.
“The authorities are yet to initiate action to clear the pending amount for the paddy procured through purchasing centres for more than two months as against the deadline of 72 hours since the procurement,” said M. Haribabu, Krishna district secretary of APKRS.
The farmers also alleged that the district authorities did not conduct a joint meeting of farmers and marketing and agriculture officials to discuss their issues. The paddy farmers in Bantumilli and Krithivennu mandals were badly hit due to the spurious seeds supplied by a Hyderabad-based firm.On the other hand, many farmers did not receive the bonus of ₹200 per quintal for maize offered by the State government.
“In the western Krishna, maize farmers from Bapulapadu and Mylavaram mandals have been waiting for compensation of ₹62 lakh to be paid by a government agency for supplying poor quality seeds,” said Mr. Haribabu.
