Cold storage fails: Compensation sought for damaged potatoes

As the third unit of Bhavani cold storage failed potatoes meant for sowing and stored in the cold storage were spoilt. As a result potatoes developed sprouts making it unfit for sowing. Hence, farmers who arrived at the cold storage to collect their produce demanded that they be compensated Rs 250 per sack of potatoes.

However, staff at the cold storage protested that they would only waive of storage fee of Rs 50 paid every month as fee and hand over potatoes to farmers.

The situation became tense when managers at the cold storage said they would only give Rs 20 per sack. This led to a verbal duel between farmers and managers. Even the police were unable to control the two groups.

The Bhavani cold storage can store as many as 1,600 sacks of produce.

As many as 25 farmers had stored potatoes in the third unit of cold storage. Farmers who had gathered at the cold storage on Tuesday morning to collect their produce were shocked to see their produce spoilt. As a result, farmers and members of various pro-farmers organisations laid siege to the cold storage.

As both groups were unable to arrive at any conclusive agreement, the protest continued until late in the evening.