Over hundred farmers staged a sit-in protest at the Uzhavar Sandhai (Farmers’ Market) at Singanallur from Sunday morning in protest against leasing out of an APEDA cold storage facility inside the market.
K. Balasubramanian, secretary of the Singanallur Uzhavar Nala Sangam, told The Hindu the cold storage was kept unused by the lessee for the last five months due to stiff opposition from the farmers.
As per rules, the cold storage should be given to farmers residing within 40 km radius from the Uzhavar Sandhai to keep the remaining produce after the day’s sale for the next day. Violating this order, the godown was leased out to a trader from Perundurai in Erode district and he was allowed to purchase agriculture produce from outside and sell at a lower price at the market, Mr. Balasubramanian alleged.
When the farmers were up in arms against this, it was resolved to hand over the control of the cold storage unit to the Farmers Welfare Committee by Deputy Director of Agriculture Marketing and Agri Business M.R. Palanisamy during March.
On Sunday, when the farmers staged the protest, the Administrative officer seized the identity card of four farmers. Since, morning no official had visited the Sandhai to sort out their problem, he added.
When contacted, Mr. Palanisamy said that they had signed an agreement with S. Kathirvel of Perundurai in Erode to use the APEDA cold stage as stocking point of his agriculture produce and he was not to sell inside the market. He apparently brought his harvest of Ridge Gourd to keep in the storage and not sell in the market on Saturday. As the lease agreement given to him was valid till November this year, he would be allowed to stock his produce and sell it outside the market.
If the farmers continued the agitation, action would be initiated against them as per rules after getting permission from the Collector, Mr. Palanisamy said.