Mancherial: Despite bonus, farmers sell fine variety paddy to private traders

Despite a bonus of Rs.500 announced by the State, paddy farmers in the district are not showing interest to sell fine variety grains to the government.

Mancherial: Despite a bonus of Rs.500 announced by the State, paddy farmers in the district are not showing interest to sell fine variety grains to the government.

Officials said that paddy crop was raised in 1.56 lakh acres in this Vanakalam season as against 1.50 lakh acres of the corresponding period in the district. They estimated that the district would record a production of 3.23 lakh metric tonnes of paddy. As many as 315 centres were identified to procure the paddy which was begun in the district on October 17.

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“The district saw a total procurement of 8,050 mentric tonnes of paddy so far. Of them, barely 852 metric tonnes were fine (sannapu) variety grains, the remaining were coarse (doddu) variety. The cost of the grains, Rs 19.10 crore was paid to 1,159 farmers till now,” Additional Collector (Revenue) Sabhawath Motilal said.

The farmers are coming forward to sell the fine variety grains to private traders who are offering a price around Rs 3,100 per quintal, which is higher than minimum support price of Rs 2,820 including bonus per quintal containing moisture below 17 percent, fixed by the government. This means, they would lose nearly Rs 300 per quintal if they sell the grains to the government.

Additionally, the growers are required to bear the cost of hamali around Rs 50 per quintal charged at the procurement centres and should ensure moisture below 17 percent to get the MSP. They can avoid this charge and don’t need to worry about the moisture if they sell the grains to the private traders. They are going for private traders due to these factors.

Meanwhile, it is learnt that the farmers are storing the grains expecting that the price of fine paddy goes up if traders of Miryalaguda and Khammam begin purchasing the grains soon. Some of them are planning to reap riches by exporting the grains to neighbouring states.