Inadequate storage space may impact paddy procurement in Telangana

The State had a bumper Rabi harvest last year and procurement of paddy was done till the last grain in 2022-23.

Hyderabad: Inadequate storage space is likely to haunt the paddy procurement process in the State this year. Even as government agencies have been aiming high for procurement, the process will not be hassle free during the Rabi marketing season, fear the millers.

The State had a bumper Rabi harvest last year and procurement of paddy was done till the last grain in 2022-23.

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The Civil Supplies Corporation favoured hiring storage spaces even outside the State.

But the prospects could be different this year.

The corporation is hopeful of making the required space available this season once the 35 lakh metric tonnes of paddy disposed off through auction was lifted. But this is going to a temporary measure to address the problem. The storage space available to the government in real terms would not be more than 20 to 25 lakh tonnes.

Even when the paddy production had crossed the three crore metric tonnes mark in the State, no headway could be made in adding to the capacity of the warehouses.

The Rabi crop harvest activity gathered pace in almost all the paddy growing districts this month. Reaching out to farmers, the Civil supplies corporation has set the stage for commencing the paddy procurement from April 15. Over 7000 purchase centres will be opened in the State.

The Civil Supplies Corporation is planning procure up to 90 lakh metric tonnes in the season if needed by offering the minimum support price (MSP). But managing storage space for such a large quantity would be a tough task this year, said millers.

Godown space available with primary agricultural cooperative societies (PACS), agricultural market committee, Rythu Vedikas and other government buildings were also used by the corporation last year as intermediary storage spaces.

The Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, in a recent meeting with food secretaries from the States, reviewed the Rabi output projections, procurement arrangements for the Rabi season and readiness of the agencies concerned with the states concerned.

Despite a crop holiday declared for the Rabi season under Nagarjuna Sagar Project (NSP) in Krishna basin and Kaddam project in Godavari basin, officials claim that the Rabi paddy output projection (for Yasangi 2023-24) in the State could be 102.91 lakh metric tonnes. Pending finalisation of procurement targets by the DFPD, the State Civil Supplies corporation is gearing up to procure up to 90 lakh metric tonnes of paddy offering the minimum support price.

The Rabi paddy procurement was in the order of 92.34 lakh metric tonnes in 2020-21, 50.39 lakh metric tonnes during 2021-22 and 66.84 lakh metric tonnes in 2022-23. The procurement this time too could be close to last year’s realisation, officials say.