Maize Farmers Cry for Help As Threat of Cyclone Looms
Large quantities of harvested maize have been piled in open spaces, leaving cultivators worried their produce could be damaged if the weather worsens.
Visakhapatnam: With harvested maize lying exposed in drying yards and a cyclone looming over the region, tribal farmers in the Parvathipuram Manyam district, are demanding the immediate establishment of maize procurement centres and a minimum procurement price of Rs 3,000 per 100 kilograms.
Farmers from Kurupam, Antivalasa, and several other tribal villages say they face a threefold crisis: the threat of heavy rains from the approaching cyclone, inadequate storage facilities, and the absence of government procurement at remunerative prices. Large quantities of harvested maize have been piled in open spaces, leaving cultivators worried their produce could be damaged if the weather worsens.
Farmers questioned where the government's announced procurement price of Rs 2,410 per 100 kg is being implemented, alleging that procurement mechanisms have not been effectively put in place. As a result, they claim they are forced to sell their crop to private traders and middlemen at lower rates, causing substantial financial losses.
The issue has drawn the attention of the CPIM, which has urged the NDA coalition government and district officials to establish maize procurement centres in every mandal immediately. The party has demanded that maize be purchased at not less than Rs 3,000 per 100 kg and that the government procure all produce brought by farmers without delay.
CPI(M) leaders warned that if the government fails to address the issue, they will organise a large-scale protest involving maize farmers from across the district at the Parvathipuram Manyam collectorate immediately after the local body elections. They called on the administration to step in urgently and provide relief to farmers caught between market uncertainty and the threat of adverse weather.