AP CM Chandra Babu Naidu launched Rythu Bazaars across the undivided Andhra Pradesh to help farmers to sell vegetables and fruits for their own profits preventing middlemen from exploiting them. People too felt happy that they get vegetables at affordable prices.
Many felt that Rythu Bazaars as a platform where people and farmers can interact directly. Rythu Bazaars continued even after the separation of the state to Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Now in the midst of all this it is comingout that middlemen are robbing farmers at all the 19 Rythu Bazaars in GHMC.
Inside talk is they are increasing the prices exorbitantly without following the guidelines issued by the marketing dept. Consumers who found that while the price board stated the cost of tomatoes (Grade-I) and brinjal as Rs. 13 per kg at the Erragadda Rythu Bazaar, no stall sold the vegetables for the stated price.
G.K. Satwika from S.R. Nagar said “The rates display on the board never match what is quoted at the stalls. I had to purchase tomatoes at Rs. 15 per kg. For carrot, I paid Rs. 15 per kg and french beans Rs. 25 per kg while the model prices were set at Rs. 11 and Rs. 18,”
Watchman at the Saroornagar Rythu Bazaar,E.Narasimha says “As per the rules, 25 per cent of stalls are allotted to self help groups while the remaining to recognised farmers from Ibrahimpatnam and other localities. As many as 90 per cent of the stalls that are allotted to the farmers are seen to have been occupied by middlemen,”
K.R. Vijay Kumar, estate officer of Mehdipatnam Rythu Bazaar revealed “We frequently check the situation at stalls. If a stall owner is seen selling vegetables at higher prices, we suspend the licence,”. G.Laxmi Bai,Additional Director for marketing department said plans are on to introduce bio-metric authentication and ID cards with barcode to farmers soon to control middlemen.She said “Apart from farmers, we provide the same to self help groups. Once the software is ready, we will introduce the system,”
