Elected representatives must be proactive to make paddy procurement a success: Uttam Reddy

The minister says 2-3 countries have expressed interest in purchasing Telangana rice with one country set to resume G-to-G trade after a decade

HYDERABAD

Minister for Civil Supplies and Irrigation N. Uttam Kumar Reddy has asked public representatives and officials to take a proactive role in making paddy procurement a successful exercise.

Participating in a video conference on paddy procurement, which was attended by Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, Ministers Tummala Nageswara Rao, Ponnam Prabhakar and Komatireddy Venkat Reddy besides MPs, MLAs and MLCs on Tuesday, Mr. Uttam Reddy said the exercise was likely to benefit about 10.15 lakh farmers.

He stated that Telangana was all set for record-breaking paddy production of 1.5 crore tonnes this kharif season and the Civil Supplies Corporation was planning to procure about 91 lakh tonnes of it, comprising 47 lakh tonnes of fine (Grade-A) varieties and 44 lakh tonnes of common varieties.

“The ₹500-per quintal bonus announced by the government for fine varieties of paddy is a historic initiative as it is for the first time in the country that all farmers producing fine varieties are set to get the bonus in addition to the support price,” the Minister said. Starting from January next year, the Congress government would distribute fine quality rice to all ration cardholders in the State, another landmark initiative, he said.

Given the record yield, the procurement exercise was a test for the government, and it was for the elected representatives to make it an efficient and smooth exercise. He suggested that farmers follow the fair average quality norms fixed by the Centre (Food Corporation of India) for procurement of their paddy.

The Minister instructed the officials to maintain accountability in transporting paddy from procurement centres to mills as fine varieties of paddy were sensitive to moisture and could suffer discolouration and increased broken grain with excess moisture or dryness of the grain. He stated that all procurement centres were equipped with dryers and cleaners to maintain the quality of paddy brought to the centres.

Published - November 06, 2024 12:54 am IST