HYDERABAD: Telangana contributed 63 per cent of Food Corporation of India (FCI)’s total paddy procurement across the country till date — a record of sorts for the farmers of the State. According to FCI Chairman and Managing Director DV Prasad, Telangana supplied over 52.23 lakh tonnes of paddy against the nationwide procurement of 83.01 lakh tonnes as on Friday. Andhra Pradesh, on the other hand, contributed only 23.04 lakh tonnes in the same season.
Complimenting the farmers, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao said it was a red letter day for them since Telangana now reached the stage of feeding the nation. Following the FCI’s statement that the State contributed the highest paddy yield to the nation, the Chief Minister recalled that the crop was cultivated in 17 lakh acres during the 2019 Rabi, which was increased to 39.5 lakh acres this year.
With free power and availability of water due to the construction of new irrigation projects, the farmers could produce the highest paddy yield this year, Rao said.
Rythu Bandhu Samithi State president Palla Rajeshwar Reddy met the Chief Minister at Pragathi Bhavan and thanked him for his pro-farmer initiatives. IT Minister KT Rama Rao also expressed joy.
“Proud of Telangana farmers and the vision of honourable CM KCR garu in achieving this amazing feet.” he tweeted. FCI’s Telangana officials said the corporation is fighting all odds to ensure the smooth supply of foodgrains across the country and that nobody suffers on account of non-availability of food. FCI Telangana ensured that 2.87 lakh tonnes allotted by the Centre to Telangana under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKAY), and a total of 19,162 tonnes of rice allotted under the Atma Nirbhar Bharat for distribution to migrant workers has been lifted completely.
Further, the FCI is issuing around 1.32 lakh tonnes of rice at subsidised rates to Telangana to benefit about 88 lakh people who are not covered under the National Food Security Act. Since the nationwide lockdown, FCI Telangana transported about 13 lakh tonnes of rice through 495 train loads — the highest ever till date in such a short span — for distributing to the poor in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal and Jharkhand, under the Public Distribution System. Further, it supplemented the procurement operations of the State government by accepting 5.08 LMT of CMR during the lockdown.
TS faces loss in maize procurement, says Gutta
Legislative Council Chairman Gutta Sukender Reddy said the State government is bearing the losses in maize procurement as it purchases the crop at an MSP of Rs 1,750 per quintal, while the Centre gives only Rs 1,200. He condemned AP’s GO 203, and said KCR would oppose it. He criticised both the MPs from erstwhile Nalgonda district for not having any idea about farmers’ issues.