RAICHUR(PTI): Paddy farmers here have been seeking a solution to the water stagnation at the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) yards here bringing them losses, as it deteriorates the quality of rice and leads to reduction in market prices.

With less than two weeks to go for the Assembly elections, political parties in the district have made it an election issue.

The Congress and JD(S) have promised to resolve the problems of the paddy farmers and provide additional facilities, if voted to power.

Farmers and labourers in Raichur claim this has been an issue in the city for more than 10 years and that "nothing has been done by the governments in the past" to resolve it.

The major agricultural produce of Raichur include rice, cotton, groundnut and pulses.

District president of Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (a farmers' association in the state) Laxman Gowda blamed the problem on improper planning and infrastructure at APMC yards.

"There was no shed at APMC market earlier. The rice sacks used to get soaked in rain water completely and it spoils the quality of the rice. Because of poor underground drainage system here, the rain water stagnates on the ground," Gowda told PTI.

"Even as the government spent Rs 30 crore to build these sheds, the farmers have nothing to benefit from it," he added.

"After it rained in Raichur on Friday, the rains caused a loss of around Rs 25 lakh in a single day. Nobody compensates for us, not the government nor APMC. It is the farmers who face the loss and suffer."

The farmers association had staged protests multiple times urging the government to resolve the matter.

"We staged protests multiple times over these issues but all in vain. There are no proper arrangements at the APMC yards," he said, adding that there were other issues as well.

"Labourers, including women, work here day and night and there's not a single washroom for them. This is how the government treats us."

According to the APMC, there are approximately 10,000 labourers who work on the 95 acres of APMC market for paddy and groundnut, and around 40,000 farmers who produce 55,000 quintal of paddy.

GS Reddy, an agent at the APMC market in Raichur, claims that around 40 per cent of the produce gets soaked in the water that stagnates at the APMC yard even after a brief spell of rainfall in the city.

APMC additional secretary in Raichur B Krishna, however, said that after it rained on Friday, "only 10 per cent of the produce" got soaked in the water and that, the loss was "compensated to an extent" by the administration.

"There were 55,000 quintals of paddy that was harvested on Friday and after it rained in the city, around 10 per cent of the produce got soaked in the water. Since it rained after the merchants issued tenders for procurement, there were delays in the payment. We also had a meeting with merchants and officials and the issue was also taken up," B Krishna told PTI.

He said admitted that there was leakage in the shed at the AMPC yard but said the government had sanctioned funds to fix it. "There are slight problems with the shed as there are leakages there but the government has sanctioned Rs 1.5 crore to fix it," he said.

With this becoming an election issue, the opposition parties blamed the government for inaction, and promised to resolve the issues if voted to power.

"There was major mismanagement by the BJP government as they are only concerned about corruption. They feel that even farmers can be bought," Congress leader Ravi Boseraju told PTI.

"There is a major class divide here and the BJP is least bothered about farmers, labourers and backward classes too. We are raising these points and we also promising to fix these issues if voted to power."

Meanwhile, JD(S) candidate Vinay Kumar, who was the chairman of Raichur City Municipal Council earlier, said that the main cause of the problem at APMC yards is poor infrastructure.

He said that if voted to power, the JD(S) would "not only fix the rainwater issue but also provide restrooms for the labourers who work there".

"The incumbent MLA couldn't find a solution to it despite being in power here for the past 10 years. The APMC yards are too small and it is obvious that rainwater would get stagnated there," Kumar told PTI.

When asked about the issues of the farmers and labourers at APMC yards, the BJP candidate and incumbent MLA S Shivraj Patil claimed that he had always "stood by the farmers in their problems".

"Ever since I became an MLA, I even went and sat on the road with farmers to get their problems resolved by the state administration. There is a water issue but with the efforts I've put in, people as well as the farmers in Raichur taluka are happy," Patil told PTI.