Two lakh tonnes of paddy to be procured through 161 centres in Hanamkonda

Hanamkonda: The official machinery in the district is all set to procure two lakh tonnes of paddy against the expected yield of 3.18 lakh tonnes from the Vanakalam crop. While it was decided to set up a total of 161 paddy purchase centres (PPCs) in the district, 23 of them were already started in Kamalapur […]

Hanamkonda: The official machinery in the district is all set to procure two lakh tonnes of paddy against the expected yield of 3.18 lakh tonnes from the Vanakalam crop. While it was decided to set up a total of 161 paddy purchase centres (PPCs) in the district, 23 of them were already started in Kamalapur and Elkathurhy mandal, officials of the Civil Supplies Corporation said.

Primary Agriculture Cooperative Societies (PACS), and Self-Help Groups (SHGs) are going to set up these centres for the benefit of the farmers.

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Training for purchase centres’ managers has already been completed, and 16 lakh gunny bags have been made available for the purchase. Another 10 lakh bags will be sent to the purchase centres soon as and when they are opened.

The minimum support price (MSP) for common variety paddy is Rs 2,040 per quintal while that for the ‘A’ grade variety is Rs 2,060 per quintal. The government has made all arrangements to ensure crediting the amount to farmers’ bank accounts within two days of completion of the process of purchasing.

Meanwhile, tenders for lorry transport to move paddy from purchase centers to the godowns has also been completed. Officials of the Civil Supplies Department are suggesting the to follow the quality standards to get the best price. “Farmers should dry the paddy after harvesting and ensure that the moisture content should remain lower than 17 percent, that the waste, ‘tar’, clay and stones should not exceed one percent of the total paddy and that the damaged, discolored, sprouted, insect-prone paddy should not exceed five percent.

Venkat Reddy, a farmer from Damera village of Elkaturthy mandal, said that paddy harvesting would get momentum in a week. Paddy was cultivated in 59,539 acres during the Vanakalam season in the district.