HYDERABAD: There will be no shortage of pulses, especially red gram, in the state for the coming season. Unlike in the past, the price of red gram too will not shoot up for consumers this year. The agriculture and marketing department has procured a record quantity of 90,792 tonnes of red gram so far in the current season. The government is expecting to procure another 40,000 to 50,000 tonnes of red gram before the end of the season by coming March.
In the erstwhile united Andhra Pradesh state, the procurement of red gram had never increased beyond 20,000 to 30,000 tonnes in a year. But this year, the situation is opposite as state witnessed a higher yield of red gram. The state agriculture and marketing department thus started purchasing huge quantities of red gram from local farmers.
“We have purchased 9,0792.07 tonnes of red gram from 90,194 farmers. We have already paid `458.66 crore to the farmers. We are likely to procure another 40,000 to 50,000 tonnes of red gram by March,” agriculture secretary C Parthsarathi said.
“Some of the red gram stocks will be stocked and if the prices go up in the market in April, May and June, the state will sell them through Rythu Bazars or supply it through fair price shops,” Parthasarathi said. He added that record production of red gram was witnessed in Mahbubnagar, Gadwal, Nagarkurnool, Adilabad and Rangareddy.