Export paddy to foreign nations, CM KCR to Centre

Hyderabad: Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao on Monday appealed to the Union government to examine the possibility of exporting paddy to foreign nations. For the second consecutive day on Monday, the Chief Minister called on Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Piyush Goyal in Delhi and urged him to bring the issue […]

Hyderabad: Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao on Monday appealed to the Union government to examine the possibility of exporting paddy to foreign nations. For the second consecutive day on Monday, the Chief Minister called on Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Piyush Goyal in Delhi and urged him to bring the issue to a logical conclusion to ensure that farmers of Telangana do not suffer losses.

Notwithstanding the ongoing session of the Legislative Assembly, Chandrashekhar Rao stayed put in Delhi to pursue the issue of paddy procurement with the Central government. He asked the Food Corporation of India (FCI) to reconsider its proposal to purchase only 60 lakh tonnes of paddy for the Vaanakalam (Kharif) season of 2021-22 and also enhance the procurement of par-boiled rice up to 80-90 per cent of the total rice procured by the Corporation for the Yasangi (Rabi) 2020-21.

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Following the Sunday meeting, the FCI officials had sought more information on the paddy production in the State and the same was handed over by the State government on Monday. During his meeting with the Union Minister, the Chief Minister was keen on finding a solution to the issue and make an announcement in the ongoing Assembly session to instil confidence among farmers. He urged the Centre to explore all options to ensure a remunerative price to the farmers for the paddy crop and consider exporting paddy to other needy countries as the State government was not authorised to directly sell the produce abroad.

Telangana State Planning Board vice-chairman B Vinod Kumar, who accompanied the Chief Minister to the meetings in Delhi, said the Union Minister had suggested crop rotation and pointed out that even a wheat-growing State like Punjab was cultivating paddy. “The Central and State governments need not blame each other. Instead, the Chief Minister wants to find an amicable solution. We are waiting for the Centre to come up with a solution,” he said and recalled that after State formation, crop cultivation area had increased significantly in the State.

The Chief Minister was accompanied by Vinod Kumar, MPs KR Suresh Reddy, Nama Nageshwara Rao, Kotha Prabhakar Reddy, BB Patil, Venkatesh Netha, MLAs C Laxma reddy and Venkateshwar Reddy, Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar and other officials.

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