Formulate national food grains procurement policy, demands CM KCR

Hyderabad: Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao has urged the Centre to declare a nationwide Comprehensive Food Grains Procurement Policy to end the “unclear and often confusing policies” that were adversely affecting the agricultural sector in the country. Such a national policy would ensure a uniform procurement of agricultural produce across the country. “The Telangana Rashtra […]

Hyderabad: Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao has urged the Centre to declare a nationwide Comprehensive Food Grains Procurement Policy to end the “unclear and often confusing policies” that were adversely affecting the agricultural sector in the country. Such a national policy would ensure a uniform procurement of agricultural produce across the country.

“The Telangana Rashtra Samithi is committed to protect the interests of farmers and the agricultural sector in general. “For this Parliament will be the platform to exert pressure on the Union Government”, the TRS president and the Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao declared at the TRS Parliamentary Party meeting held here in Pragati Bhavan, on Sunday.

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The meeting advised the Centre to discard what it termed as “dual and illogical policy” on the procurement of Paddy in Telangana. Rao, who spoke at length on the issue, advised the TRS Members of Parliament on raising the issue in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha to ensure that the Centre is forced to come out clearly on paddy procurement in both the Houses. He directed the MPs to take the Centre to task for its ever-changing stance on the extent of Paddy cultivation this monsoon season. The centre was repeatedly asserting that it would procure only 60 Lakh tonnes of Paddy (about 40 Lakh tonnes of Rice), while the Centre was expected to procure 90 Lakh MT of Paddy.

The TRSPP also expressed its unhappiness over the Centre not taking an unequivocal stand on the procurement, despite a delegation of the Telangana State Ministers and officials meeting the Union Minister Piyush Goyal and other officials. The meeting also expressed its anger over the Centre’s reluctance to to spell out how much Paddy it would procure in next Yasangi season and its decision not to buy Boiled Rice. Even as the farming community was getting ready for planting of paddy seeds, the Centre had been advocating its “unclear and illogical procurement policy”, the meeting felt.

The TRSPP meeting decided to vociferously raise its voice in both the Houses on behalf of the Telangana farmers. The meeting congratulated Chandrashekhar Rao for his unequivocal stand on preparing the yearly calendar on the Paddy Procurement. The meeting recalled that the farmers in Telangana have become role models for other states in a short span of time by setting a record yield of paddy. “The Centre’s policy would deal a death blow to the farming sector”.

Those who attended the meeting included Agriculture Minister S Niranjan Reddy, R&B Minister Vemula Prashanth Reddy, party leader in Rajya Sabha Dr K Keshav Rao, all MPs and others.

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