CM orders action against `erring' millers

By Our Special Correspondent

VIJAYAWADA, MAY 4. The Chief Minister, Mr. N. Chandrababu Naidu, has directed the Krishna District Collector to cancel the registration of rice mills which have failed to buy the allotted quantity of paddy at the minimum support price.

As Krishna district is given a target of procuring 2,50,000 tonnes of rice, the millers should buy three lakh tonnes of paddy at MSP without any problem but they are closing their mills and refusing to buy paddy aggravating the problem.

The Chief Minister on Friday patiently heard the paddy farmers narrate their woes in disposing of their produce and tried to persuade the rice millers not to play truant with them in the present difficult situation.

During his whirlwind tour in Malleswaram constituency in Krishna district, Mr. Naidu realised the gravity of the problem caused by the glut in paddy market and asked the Agriculture Minister, Mr. Vadde Sobhanadreswara Rao, and the District Collector, Mr. B. R. Meena, to discuss the issue with the farmers and millers and find out some solution to the present impasse and report to him by tonight.

He assured the farmers that the State Government would do its best and prevail on the Centre to take necessary steps to provide the minimum support price for paddy in this season.

Addressing a meeting of farmers, rice millers and political leaders at Guduru, he attributed the present glut to excess production not only in Andhra Pradesh but in other States and also in other countries. Andhra Pradesh could no longer export its rice to States like Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Orissa.

So, the TDP Government with its clout prevailed on the Centre to procure a record 70 lakh tonnes of rice valued at Rs. 6,500 crores from millers through the FCI in the hope that they would buy paddy from farmers at the MSP. But, the millers belied their hope.

He wanted to know as to why the millers who had paid MSP in the kharif season failed to pay the same price now. He wanted them to sort out the grade problem of 1001 variety paddy with FCI officials and Collector.

He asked the millers to realise that they would be in business only if farmers were happy. As millers had made huge profits before, they should now be prepared for some sacrifice and buy paddy at MSP and help farmers tide over the difficult situation.

Mr. Katneni Krishna Murthy, president of the Krishna District Rice Millers Association, said that they had been buying paddy only at MSP and lifted as much as two lakh tonnes till now. But farmers stoutly refuted his contention. They said that there was not an instance wherein the millers had paid the MSP. They were knocking away the produce only at Rs. 330 a bag of 75 kg as against the MSP of Rs. 405.

``It costs us Rs. 3,000 per acre only for pesticides and how can we sell paddy at Rs. 330?'' a farmer asked in anguish. With folded hands, he appealed to the Chief Minister to see that the millers behaved. The farmers said in one voice that even the best quality paddy fetched them only Rs. 350.

The farmers told the Chief Minister that the millers refused to buy their produce unless they signed false certificates that they had been paid MSP. Mr. Naidu retorted in exasperation: ``To whom should I tell my problems ? The MROs and VAOs demanded bribes when they were asked to attest certificates.''

Noticing that the situation was going out of control, the Chief Minister asked the Collector to convene a small meeting and find out some solution. ``Padimandilo padda pamu chavadu,'' he said amidst laughter and left. (A snake caught in the crowd could not be killed because every one shouts but no one strikes a blow).

Surprisingly, Mr. Pinnamaneni Venkateswara Rao, Congress-I MLA, came to the rescue of the millers.

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Section  : Southern States
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