VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has directed the officials to come out with measures for exporting rice to other countries by the government.
Reviewing paddy procurement in the State with senior officials on Monday, the CM asked them to ensure that the role of millers comes only after paddy is procured. Officials were directed to ensure farmers are not cheated during inspection of the quality of paddy.
“Ensure MSP to all farmers and emphasise that RBKs should play an active role in the procurement of crops. There should be no negligence in providing services to the farmers,” the Chief Minister said and instructed the officials to interact with the farmers frequently so that there won’t be a communication gap.
“In the past, no one came forward to procure wet and discoloured paddy. Now, our government has started procuring the discoloured paddy to support farmers,” Jagan said. He instructed the officials to take necessary measures to ensure payment is done within 21 days of crop procurement. He directed the officials to check if all the procurement centres are open and ensure adequate staff at every procurement centre.
The Chief Minister said there should be five persons including technical assistant and data entry operator in RBKs irrespective of their category for procurement operations and added that they should interact with farmers and make all the necessary arrangements including arrangement of gunny bags, transport vehicles and hamalis for procurement. Officials were asked to set up a helpline number in every RBK for complaints and petitions on issues related to procurement of crops. They were further instructed to conduct field trips and interact with farmers to understand their problems and take continuous feedback from Joint Collectors on procurement. Create more awareness on Crop Cultivator Rights Cards (CCRC) among farmers.
The officials informed the Chief Minister that the average paddy purchase per day has reached 42,237 metric tonnes and it will be increased in the coming days. The Chief Minister instructed the officials to create awareness on cultivation of alternative crops among farmers and consider giving special bonuses to those who grow such crops. He instructed the officials to inform the farmers that the government is also responsible for purchasing alternative crops.
Agriculture Minister K Kannababu, Civil Supplies Minister Kodali Venkateswara Rao, Chief Secretary Dr Sameer Sharma and other officials were present.