Incessant rain forecast in Telangana to impact paddy procurement operations

Adverse weather delaying paddy transportation from procurement centres to rice mills; open procurement centres struggling to protect paddy stocks, leading to heavy spoilage

Hyderabad: With heavy rainfall and thunderstorms expected to continue in the State, paddy procurement operations are likely to be impacted further in a big way. The unstable weather conditions have already caused serious disruptions to the procurement and added to the losses of Rabi farmers. There seems to be no letup to their travails.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued alerts for heavy rainfall and thunderstorms across Telangana. Gusty winds ranging from 30-60 kmph are expected across the State for the next one week. Light to moderate rain or thundershowers are very likely to occur at many places starting from Thursday.

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The adverse weather is delaying transportation of paddy from procurement centres to rice mills. With continuous heavy rain, open procurement centres are struggling to protect paddy stocks, leading to heavy spoilage.

The Rabi 2024-25 marketing season has been marked by unprecedented hardships in paddy procurement, with logistical and coordination issues causing delays that have frustrated farmers.

Telangana had set an ambitious target of 70 lakh metric tonnes of paddy procurement this season, backed by a budget of over Rs 15,000 crore and 8,381 procurement centres across the State. As of May 14, the State had procured close to 44 lakh metric tonnes, valued at over 10,000 crore.

This marks a 44 per cent increase compared to the same period in the Rabi 2023-24 season. But the overall procurement remains marginally above the halfway mark, with only 61.6 per cent of the target met.

Farmers have been complaining of severe delays in moving paddy from procurement centres to rice mills, with trucks from multiple regions converging at places leading to four- to five-day wait times for unloading.

Protests have erupted across the State as farmers express frustration over delays in lifting their produce. Coordination issues involving the Civil Supplies Department, district authorities and rice millers have been inadequate, further slowing the process.

Unseasonal rains right from May 6 have been causing extensive damage to paddy stocks awaiting transportation. Farmers have been forced to dry soaked paddy, increasing costs and reducing market value.

Telangana’s parboiled rice, traditionally consumed in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, faces declining demand due to increased production in these States and surplus stocks with the Food Corporation of India (FCI).

Delayed payments have added to farmers’ financial woes. Disbursements were being made to the farmers in parts. Such issues are culminating in farmers being forced to sell to private traders at lower prices, undermining the Minimum Support Price (MSP) mechanism.