HYDERABAD: Civil Supplies Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Monday directed officials to expedite the paddy procurement operations while ensuring urgent safeguards to protect farmers from untimely rains and losses.
In view of the forecast of untimely rains for the rest of the week and heavy summer showers that battered multiple districts on Sunday night, triggering havoc on paddy stocks at harvest centres and market yards, the minister held a videoconference with district in-charge ministers, collectors, the civil supplies commissioner and other officials.
The minister emphasised the need for vigilant monitoring of weather conditions and ensuring that farmers are promptly informed about rainfall forecasts from time to time.
The government has so far purchased 14.8 lakh tonnes of paddy at 8,575 procurement centres. This includes over eight lakh tonnes of coarse variety. An amount of over Rs 2,001.96 crore was deposited into the accounts of farmers, the minister informed.
Uttam directed district collectors to prioritise protection of farmers’ produce from unseasonal downpours. He insisted on advance positioning of tarpaulins at every PPC based on daily morning weather alerts.
All drenched paddy should be immediately shifted to assigned parboiled rice mills using already-issued district allocations to salvage the crop.
KTR CALLS FOR PROTESTS OVER ‘NON-PROCUREMENT’ OF PADDY
Sangareddy: BRS working president KT Rama Rao on Monday called upon the party workers to stage week-long protests across the state against “non-procurement” of paddy, sunflower, maize and jowar from farmers.
While demanding that the government immediately purchase all grains from the farmers, he asked the BRS activists to submit memorandums to Mandal Revenue Officers and Revenue Divisional Officers during the agitation.
Rama Rao was interacting with the farmers at Sadashivapet market yard after meeting BRS social media activist Manne Krishank and others in Sangareddy jail.
“The Congress government is causing severe mental distress to farmers by failing to purchase their produce. A massive scam in the Civil Supplies department is the reason for the delay in procuring grains. Though 90 lakh MTs of paddy had to be purchased by now, they have not even procured nine tonnes,” he said and demanded that the government purchase grains without any conditions.