KTR demands farmers’ crisis top Cabinet agenda, demands white paper on crop procurement

BRS working president K T Rama Rao demanded that the State Cabinet prioritise the agrarian crisis and paddy procurement delays. Alleging severe hardship faced by farmers, he warned of statewide protests if the Congress government failed to announce immediate corrective measures.

Hyderabad: BRS working president KT Rama Rao has demanded that the State Cabinet meeting scheduled for Saturday take up the agrarian crisis and paddy procurement delays as its prime agenda. He warned that the BRS would launch Statewide protests if the government failed to act immediately.

He demanded unconditional procurement of all pending paddy stock regardless of discolouration or moisture issues. He dared the government to release a white paper on crop procurement since it assumed office. “The Cabinet must take concrete decisions on Saturday. If it fails, the BRS will take to the streets,” he said.

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Addressing a press conference at Telangana Bhavan on Friday, Rama Rao said the Congress government had completely neglected crop procurement, while farmers across Telangana faced severe hardship during the ongoing Yasangi (Rabi) season. He said he had written to Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, urging expedited procurement operations, but the latter continued to deny there was a crisis. He also criticised Civil Supplies Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy for allegedly dismissing farmers’ grievances.

The BRS working president said at least 10 farmers died at procurement centres due to distress this season, while several others had already attempted suicide. Farmers, including Congress supporters, were staging road blockades and protests across the State demanding immediate crop purchase. “For over 45 days, farmers have been waiting in 45-degree heat for the government to buy their produce, but there has been no respite,” he said.

Alleging that officials were citing gunny bag shortages as the reason for delays, he said farmers were also being made to pay waiting charges for tractors and lorries parked at procurement centres.

Directly challenging the Chief Minister, Rama Rao disputed the government’s claim that nearly 80 per cent of procurement had been completed, asserting that actual figures were below 30 per cent. “I am prepared to accompany Revanth Reddy to any procurement centre in the State, including Kodangal. If he proves 80 per cent procurement is done, I am ready for any punishment,” he said.

The former Minister accused the Congress government of deliberately delaying procurement in an attempt to force farmers to sell produce to private traders at distress prices and avoid expenditure through payment of Minimum Support Price and also Rs 500 bonus. He said 6 to 8 kg of paddy per quintal were being arbitrarily deducted in the name of wastage. He stated that basic facilities, including gunny bags, ropes, tarpaulin sheets, and even drinking water, were absent at centres.

He said Telangana, which had emerged as a major rice-producing State under the BRS government, was now in distress due to failures across the entire agricultural chain under the Congress government, including crop loan waivers, fertiliser supply, irrigation, power, and Rythu Bharosa disbursement.