The Telangana government is preparing extensively for Rabi paddy procurement, targeting 90 lakh metric tonnes under MSP operations. With production expected to exceed 148 lakh metric tonnes, over 8,251 purchase centres are being opened across districts, backed by storage and logistics infrastructure.
Despite expectations of a record paddy harvest in Telangana, procurement operations are faltering due to untimely rains, inadequate infrastructure, and a reduced procurement target from the Centre. With only 1,200 centres operational against the proposed 8,300, and over 2.36 lakh acres of crop damaged, farmers face income losses and uncertainty over support price operations.
The State support that encompassed crop investment assistance, timely irrigation, uninterrupted power and assured purchase of produce till the last grain, appears to have faded
Senior officials drafted for monitoring the minimum support price (MSP) operations are reaching out to the purchase centres as part of their stock taking exercise from time to time.
The State government could complete procurement of 3.3 lakh metric tonnes during the last three weeks as against less than one lakh tonnes procured by this time last year, he said.
Additional purchase centres would be opened by assessing the situation where ever the need is felt, and "we will ensure a fair deal to the farmers," corporation officials said.
Hyderabad: Civil Supplies Corporation Limited Chairman M Srinivas Reddy on Sunday asked officials to shift paddy from purchasing centres to rice mills on priority basis. He said the Additional Collectors should play a key role in shifting paddy to rice mills. Agriculture Minister S Niranjan Reddy brought the problems being faced by the farmers in […]
