KARIMNAGAR: Mild tension prevailed at the Karimnagar agriculture market yard with cotton farmers staging a dharna and rasta roko demanding the minimum support price for cotton on Saturday.

Several hundreds of cotton farmers, who have bought their cotton produce to the market yard, have been stranded in the market for the last three days following the non-procurement of their produce by the traders by providing the MSP. The farmers alleged that the traders were coming forward to procure cotton only at the rate of Rs. 1600 to Rs. 1800 against the existing price of Rs. 2,800.

The farmers said that they were getting the price of Rs. 2,800 per quintal in Peddapalli market yard, not in Karimnagar town.

Flaying the disparities in the market price of the cotton, they demanded that the price of cotton should be uniform in all market yards.

Irked by non-purchase of cotton by providing the market price of Rs. 2,800 per quintal, the farmers staged a rasta roko on the busy road opposite the market yard obstructing traffic for about one hour. When the police intervened, the farmers dispersed and assembled in front of the market yard and staged a dharna raising slogans against the market officials and traders.

Joint Collector's visit

Later, Joint Collector Christiana Z. Chongthu visited the market yard and pacified the agitating the farmers and held a meeting with the traders.

She assured the farmers of providing a price of Rs. 2,000 to Rs. 2,300 per quintal of cotton in the market yard depending on the quality of the produce.

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