An independent fact-finding committee has noted several irregularities and inadequate facilities at the Agriculture Market Committee at Warangal in Andhra Pradesh, leading to cotton farmers getting a price much less than the MSP.

The fact-finding committee, headed by Justice G. Bikshapathi, former Judge, AP High Court, was instituted by the Consortium of Indian farmers Associations and other local farmers’ bodies, following complaints from farmers in the district.

The committee observed that although the Cotton Corporation of India had issued notification for the establishment of 11 cotton purchasing centres in the district to help farmers save on transportation, there was still a lone centre serving the farmers.

“Stocks are thus exposed to rain and fire. Further, farmers are supposed to get Rs 25 by CCI per gunny bag, but for the last two years they are not paid anything for the bags,” Bikshapathi told newspersons here today.

Farmers had supplied 80 lakh empty bags to CCI for the last two years, for which they had not received any money.

Farmers got a particularly low price for their produce in the first week of February when the district was lashed by heavy rains. “To make matters worse, the market yard has no proper moisture testing meters and officials just slash the cotton bags in the middle and judge the moisture content by feeling the cotton with their hands. Prices are thus fixed on the basis of whatever moisture content the officials claim in the cotton,” he said. “As per the AMPC Act, commission agents are entitled only for one per cent commission, but we were told that they are collecting 4-5 per cent from farmers,” said Jaipal Reddy, President of Prataparudra Farmers’ Federation, Warangal.

> amit.mitra@thehindu.co.in

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