Focus on innovative procurement practices: Civil Supplies Commissioner

As part of the special initiative, Civil Supplies Commissioner D S Chowhan said the corporation has taken up simultaneous weighing and stacking of the stocks.

Hyderabad: Besides ensuring provision of necessary infrastructure including adequate storage facility, the Civil Supplies Corporation has initiated the process for adopting efficient procurement practices to help prevent rain ravage in purchase centres and marketyards so that farmers receive a fair deal, Civil Supplies Commissioner D S Chowhan said.

As part of the special initiative, he said the corporation has taken up simultaneous weighing and stacking of the stocks. “We started implementing it with immediate effect at Aithupally IKP centre and Pathagudur Paddy purchase centre in Jagtial district and it would be extended to the rest of the State soon,” he said.

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Paddy was exposed to rains in harvest centres as well as purchase centres in a big way last year. All precautions were being taken to avoid such losses this year while providing adequate number of auction platforms, drying platforms, paddy cleaners, moisture meters, weighing scales, tarpaulins, winnowing machines and other equipment.

He said procurement had crossed 26 lakh metric tonne mark as on Thursday as against the 15.28 lakh tonnes the same day last year. The number of the purchase centres in operation are 7166. Over 4,19,341 farmers could sell paddy in the purchase centres so far this year.

The corporation has procured 3.52 lakh metric tonnes of paddy in Nalgonda, 3.18 lakh metric tonne in Nizamabad, 1.13 lakh metric tonnes in Karimnagar, 1.64 lakh metric tonnes in Suryapet and 1.21 lakh metric tonnes in Medak while in other districts, it was either less than one lakh tonnes each .