Telangana likely to procure 75 LMT paddy this Yasangi: Uttam

Telangana has procured 60 lakh metric tonnes of paddy during the Yasangi season and total procurement is expected to reach 75 LMT, Civil Supplies Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy said. The State has also credited Rs 11,050 crore in MSP payments to farmers

Hyderabad: After announcing plans to procure an estimated 90 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of paddy during the Yasangi season, Telangana Civil Supplies Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Friday said the State had procured 60 LMT so far and total procurement was likely to touch nearly 75 LMT.

“Telangana is conducting what is arguably the most successful paddy procurement operation in the country. Procurement operations are being intensified further and will be completed during the first week of June,” he said, adding that MSP payments amounting to Rs 11,050 crore have already been credited directly into farmers’ bank accounts.

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Referring to the recent unseasonal rains, the Minister claimed that the government had acted swiftly to protect farmers from losses. He said special arrangements enabled the transportation of 10,214 metric tonnes of rain-soaked paddy to boiled rice mills, ensuring affected farmers received Minimum Support Price (MSP) payments without hardship.

Addressing a press conference here, Uttam Kumar Reddy said Telangana had already procured 60 LMT of paddy, compared to around 24 LMT in Andhra Pradesh, 11-12 LMT in Tamil Nadu, 3 LMT in Maharashtra and nearly 2 LMT in Kerala. He pointed out that while the Central government had agreed to procure only up to 52 LMT from Telangana, the State had already crossed the 60 LMT mark.

Expressing concern over the Centre’s procurement policy, the Minister said rice production in Telangana was increasing every crop season, but the quantity being accepted by the Centre through the Food Corporation of India (FCI) was being reduced.

To ensure smooth procurement, the State government established 8,575 procurement centres, deployed nearly 13,000 transport vehicles and mobilised over two lakh personnel for procurement, transportation and logistics operations.