NELLORE: The government is expected provide MSP to paddy and would establish 161 procurement centres across the district.
While official records state that 90 centres have been set up so far, the ground reality appears different. In several locations, procurement centres have either not been properly established or lack basic facilities.
Under the supervision of the District Cooperative department, around 142 procurement centres are proposed to be operated through PACS. However, dues related to these centres have been accumulating since 2019. During the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons, the government did not procure paddy as prices in the open market were higher.
Despite this, the government still has to clear Rs 42 crore in pending payments to societies. Recently, the government released Rs 3.28 crore, but Rs 39 crore is still pending, creating doubts among cooperative societies about their ability to carry out procurement operations.
Meanwhile, nearly half of the millers have not yet submitted bank guarantees. Officials claim that millers would procure paddy worth about Rs 100 crore, but even 10 percent of the required bank guarantees have not been submitted so far.
Officials claim that procurement worth Rs 100 crore will be taken up, but not even 10 percent of required bank guarantees have been received so far.
Joint Collector Mogili Venkateswarlu assured that farmers need not worry. “The government will procure paddy wherever necessary. Farmers facing any difficulties can contact the toll-free number. They should not fall prey to middlemen,” he said.