Farmers suffered Rs 1000 crore loss due to unethical practices of millers: Telangana body

HYDERABAD: The Telangana Farmers Association alleged that the ryots across the State suffered a total loss of about Rs 900 crore to Rs 1,000 crore due to the deduction of five to 10 kg of paddy per quintal by the rice millers during the previous procurement season. The association has been demanding the government to strictly blocklist the rice millers who are financially and mentally harassing the farmers.

The Telangana Farmers Association (TFA) activists lamented that most of the rice millers have depreciated the weighment of paddy even after weighing in the procurement centres. They said that rice millers confirmed the weightments by reducing around five to 10 kg of rice after paddy reached their rice mills. Teegala Sagar, General Secretary of TFA, said that the Civil Supplies Department procured over 90 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of paddy during the Yasangi season. He said that the rice millers have depreciated the paddy quantity citing chaff, moisture and colour changed grains.  

“This 90 LMT is after the depreciation of around five to 10 per cent on an average. Therefore, as per the official records 14.21 lakh farmers suffered a loss of payment for five to 10 per cent of their produce. This loss could be translated into Rs 900 crore to Rs 1,000 crores,” he said.

When contacted an official of the Civil Supplies Department said that the projected loss is merely a speculation. He said that only a few cases have come to their notice and they have immediately resolved those issues.