RAJAMAHENDRAVARAM: Paddy procurement across Andhra Pradesh has begun in a festive atmosphere, with Ministers Nadendla Manohar and Kandula Durgesh announcing that the State government is undertaking the collection of 51 lakh Metric Tonnes of paddy for the first time.
They described this as a historic milestone under the leadership of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan, noting that the coalition government is committed to supporting farmers and instilling confidence in them.
Speaking to mediapersons at Kovvuru in East Godavari district on Monday, the ministers highlighted that reforms have been introduced to benefit the farming community in unprecedented ways.
In East Godavari district alone, 135,000 metric tonnes of paddy have already been procured, with `4,000 crore credited to farmers’ accounts within just four to five hours. Plans are in place to purchase a total of 400,000 metric tonnes in the district, while facilities have been arranged in government and private lands for drying and storing harvested grain.
The ministers assured that logistical issues such as transport and supply of gunny bags would be promptly addressed. Farmer service centres have been upgraded with trained staff and modern machinery to ensure accurate moisture content checks. They emphasised that the government is working to prevent farmers from facing difficulties and will continue to support measures in the upcoming days.
Acknowledging rainfall concerns, the Ministers clarified that rainfall is expected after November 28–29. To safeguard ryots, free tarpaulins have been disbursed, and arrangements have been made to dry paddy in designated spaces.
Nadendla Manohar, Kandula Durgesh, and Kovvur MLA Muppidi Venkateswara Rao inspected the fields to reassure farmers that preventing crop loss is the government’s duty.