HYDERABAD: As many as 7,077 paddy purchasing centres have been started across Telangana to procure Rabi paddy.
Purchasing centres have been doubled in comparison to the Kharif season to avoid crowds, keeping in mind the Covid-19 threat.
tAgriculture Minister Singireddy Niranjan Reddy inaugurated the paddy purchasing centres at Revalli, Gopalpet, Padda Mandadi, Khilla Ghanpuram in Wanaparthy mandals on Monday.
The Minister said that the paddy purchasing would be done in a planned manner without causing any trouble to farmers.
Officials would issue coupons to farmers. As per the date mentioned on the coupon, paddy would be purchased from the farmers.
The State government has closed the regular market yards and opened purchasing centres at all villages to enable farmers to sell their produce in their respective villages. This would prevent long queues at market yards and rule out long-distance travel by farmers in view of the lockdown.
The Minister asked officials to strictly enforce social distancing at purchasing centres. The Telangana government recently gave a counter guarantee of an additional Rs 25,000 crore to the Civil Supplies Corporation for purchasing paddy and another Rs 3,213 crore for maize. The amount will be deposited directly into the bank accounts of farmers.
Bumper harvest
Paddy this year has been cultivated in 39 lakh acre as against the normal area of 17 lakh acre in the present Rabi season.
The officials are expecting over 1 crore tonne of paddy. Official figures say there are 14,095 harvesters available in the State for cutting the crop.
Besides, 753 harvesters were brought from Tamil Nadu and they were positioned in Suryapet, Kamareddy and Khammam. This brings the number of harvesters available to 14,848. In view of the staggered sowing, the crop would be harvested over a period of 50 to 60 days.