Govt ready to spend over Rs 15,000 crore for paddy procurement

Metro India News | Hyderabad 

The Telangana government is prepared to spend over Rs.15,000 crore to ensure the smooth and timely procurement of paddy during this Rabi season and the payments would reach the farmers in 48 hours flat assured Civil Supplies Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy here on Wednesday in a high-level video conference with all District Collectors.

With a record Rabi cultivation spread across 54.89 lakh acres and an estimated output of 127 lakh metric tonnes (LMTs), the state government has planned to procure nearly 70 LMTs of paddy through an extensive network of 8,381 procurement centres established across all districts.

He said,  “We must ensure that once the procurement data from PPCs is uploaded, the payment reaches the farmers within 48 hours. I will speak to the Finance Department to ensure immediate release of the bonus amount,” he added. In addressing logistics, Uttam Kumar Reddy said that in locations where godowns are not accessible, paddy must be shifted directly to mills with sufficient capacity.

Uttam Kumar Reddy asked Collectors to coordinate with SPs and RTOs to mobilise private lorries and ensure timely transportation of paddy from PPCs to mills.          Regarding gunny bags, the Minister clarified that Telangana has already positioned 13.71 crore bags and is mobilising another 3.79 crore. He instructed that gunny bags must only be issued after verifying moisture levels at PPCs, and not handed over directly to farmers in the field to avoid artificial shortages.