Poll effect: Most purchase centres go defunct

Even after nine days of opening the purchase centres, not a single farmer has turned up to sell his goods. For the managers in the seven centres opened in the district, their work has reduced only to opening and closing the shutters.

The centres which had been opened by the Food and Civil Supplies Department to stall the involvement of middle men, have now become useless.

The purchase centres have been opened in APMC’s in Chamarajanagar, Santhemarahalli, Hanuru, Kollegal, Gundlupet and TAPCMS premises in Yelandur and Terekanambi. The reason for the lack of interest in purchase centres is said to be due to the involvement of farmers in hectic campaigning going on in the region.

While the farmers have the option of selling a maximum of 100 quintals at the purchase centres, they will lose the opportunity by the time elections finish when the purchase centres will shut down say the managers.

Another reason is that the State Government has fixed the price and also set the moisture content that has to be present in the crop. Jowar needs to have 14 per cent, while paddy and ragi need to have 12 per cent moisture. In order to get a crop of such quality, the produce needs to be dried for a longer time.

While the Government has fixed the price of normal paddy at ` 1,100 and ` 1,130 for ‘A’ grade per quintal. The price for ragi is `  965 and `  880 for jowar. However private traders are currently giving ` 1,200 for paddy and paying anywhere between ` 920 and `  930 without hackling farmers about moisture content in the crop.

APMC Purchase Centre Manager Thammaiah said that farmers are expected to sell their crops after the elections end on January 4.