Alirajpur (Madhya Pradesh): The farmers here are a dissatisfied lot as they are not getting adequate price for mangoes due to alleged collusion between middlemen and traders.

Farmers are not asked the price of mangoes before the auction. The middlemen call the shots by deciding the cost of their produce to which traders readily agree.

Farmers who visited market to sell mangoes said the price of their mangoes was more but they got lesser price. Farmer Ida said most farmers are exploited by middlemen and traders in “a very systematic way”.

Most farmers are either illiterate or semi literate, which make them an easy target for middlemen and traders. “Bidding is conducted so fast that farmers don’t get a chance to speak or accept the bid,” Ida added.

When contacted, Agriculture Produce Market secretary Bhagat Singh Dawar said he was on leave for few days. “Joined two days back. If farmers have complaints about getting less price of their produce, then I will try to resolve it,” he added.

Social activist Nitesh Alawa said mango market is being run by brokers. “Public representatives should solve this problem of farmers. The district administration should make efforts in this direction to ensure that farmers get a fair price for mangoes,” he added.

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