Raichur farmers demand to end paddy curbs
Raichur: Members of the Karnataka State Farmers’ Association held a demonstration on Thursday, disrupting traffic near the Krishna Bridge to protest against Telangana’s restrictions on paddy transportation from Karnataka. The price disparity between regions prompted farmers to seek Telangana markets, where paddy fetches Rs 2,500 per quintal plus a Rs 500 incentive, while the Raichur market offers less than Rs 2,100, according to Chamarasa Malipatil, the organisation’s Honorary President. Recently, five or six vehicles carrying paddy from farmers in the state were intercepted at the Krishna police station in Telangana. This caused significant worry among paddy producers. Malipatil voiced his concerns, emphasising that enforcing such limitations at a time when paddy should be reaching the market is regrettable.Protesters, expressing their discontent with the Telangana govt, urged the state to find a resolution to the ongoing problem. A protest was organised by Prabhakar Patil, the President of the Raichur district, and Basavaraj Patil, the working president, with participation from other State Farmers’ Association members, including Mallanna Gowdur, Mallikarjuna Rao, and Venkatesha.