Officials told to expedite paddy procurement in Khammam

The Minister directed the officials to complete the procurement of remaining 1.9 lakh tonnes in the next 10 days.

Khammam: About 2.66 lakh tonne of paddy has been procured against the target of 3.75 lakh tonne in Yasangi season in the district, Transport Minister Puvvada Ajay Kumar said on Tuesday.

The Minister directed the officials to complete the procurement of remaining 1.9 lakh tonnes in the next 10 days. In the current season, paddy crop extent was increased and there was a little delay in the procurement due to Covid situation. However, the farmers need not worry as every grain of paddy would be procured. Since there were not enough parboiled rice mills in Khammam district, rice mills in Nalgonda, Peddapalli and Karimnagar district were engaged to lift the paddy in the district, he said.

---

Ajay held a review meeting with district officials and elected representatives on paddy procurement and Covid situation in the district here on Tuesday.

He spoke to Civil Supplies officials to shift paddy allotted to Nalgonda district to mills in Peddapalli and Karimnagar as mills in Nalgonda lifted only 15, 000 metric tonnes of paddy as against the allotted quantity of one lakh metric tonnes.

The State government has allotted another 106 rice mills to lift paddy and Telangana was in the second place after Punjab in procurement of paddy in the country. With the Chief Minister, K Chandrashekhar Rao’s decision to help the farmers, around 57 lakh metric tonnes paddy was procured so far, Ajay Kumar noted.

Stating that the transport contractors in 2,3,4 and 5 sectors were collecting Rs 5 per bag for transporting paddy, Ajay Kumar directed the officials to take action in that regard. He directed the transport officials to arrange the required number of lorries to transport paddy.