A group of farmers on Thursday staged road roko on Thirupanandal-Aduthurai Road in protest against the alleged “preference given to traders’ at the direct purchase centre (DPC) in Manikudi.
The farmers from Manikudi, Ilanganallur, Keerangudi and Vanjanur brought their produce to the DPC and stocked it in the open near the centre. While they were made to wait for more than a week, the paddy brought by ‘outsiders’ were procured by DPC staff overlooking the wait list. Such misdeeds were carried out during night and entered in the records the next day, they alleged.
Further, the farmers claimed that they were asked to pay ₹40 per bag of paddy to get their produce procured at the DPC.
Protesting the malpractices, they blocked the traffic on Thirupanandal-Aduthurai Road in the morning demanding action against the erring DPC staff. A team of policemen, led by Inspector of Thirupanandal Police Station Kavitha, rushed to the spot and pacified them. Subsequently, they withdrew their protest.
Meanwhile, Kumbakonam MLA K. Anbalagan condemned the alleged practice of demanding money from farmers to procure their paddy at the DPC, citing ‘operational reasons’ such as insufficient space to store the yield.
However, paddy brought to the DPCs by ‘outsiders’ were procured immediately. Thus, neglected by the DPC staff, the hapless farmers were left with no option but to dispose of their produce at throwaway prices to private parties, he said in a statement.