The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Steadfast farmer waits for fair price

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Sunday, Dec 02, 2007
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Steadfast farmer waits for fair price

S. Ramu

Camps in market yard since a month to dispose off paddy stock

NAKREKAL (NALGONDA): Possibly the political parties might lose their will to continue their pitched battle for minimum support price of Rs.1,000 for paddy but not Vontipaaka Narsaiah, a farmer of Nakrekal. He camped at the market yard in the town for one month anticipating an attractive price for his paddy stock.

Freedom fighter

A freedom fighter, Narsaiah raised sona masuri, considered as the finest variety of paddy, in his one-acre piece of land and brought the produce to the market yard about one month ago. Though the market is busy with cotton purchasing, he occupied some space in a shed and dumped his 30 bags of paddy. He didn’t remove the stock in spite of repeated requests by the management.

“Since nobody came forward to purchase my paddy, I camped here,” Narsaiah told The Hindu on Friday. He brought an old cot from his home and spent the nights too in his bid for a prospect buyer. Cold waves during nights didn’t come in the way of this unyielding farmer.

“We raised sona masuri this year. It is bit costly. That is way people are not coming forward to buy my stock,” the octogenarian with hearing problem maintained.

Embarrassed

His presence indeed embarrassed the market yard authorities but they couldn’t shoe away the determined farmer. “My daughter-in-law brings food for me. I stay near the paddy stock to protect it from rats and pigs,” the elderly person said with a mountain of confidence.

“We don’t know how to solve this problem. He is too adamant to be convinced. We offered some space in the godown to store his produce but he is determined to be here till he gets a fair price,” an employee of the market yard commented.

“He is a man of principles. He told us that he would remain there till he gets a good rate for the paddy,” Narsaiah’s daughter-in-law said. Finally a farmer purchased 24 bags from Narsaiah on Friday afternoon. “I’ll wait for another buyer to dispose off the remaining stock,” the steadfast ryot revealed.

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