HYDERABAD: Urging the farmers not to get agitated over the grains that were soaked in rainwater, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Tuesday announced that the State government will purchase the entire stock of paddy from the farmers.
The government will also buy the rain-soaked paddy and pay the same amount that will be for the normal paddy, he assured the farmers.
During a review meeting held at the Secretariat, the Chief Minister directed the Agriculture officials to study the situation and submit a report on the new practices to be adopted to minimise crop loss during the Rabi season.
“The crop season should be planned in such a way that the process of harvesting of paddy should be completed by March. Then there will be no possibility of crops getting damaged in untimely rains or hailstorms during summer,” he said.
“Early harvesting also reduces the broken rice content,” he added. As they met officials predicted more rains in the next three to four days, Rao advised the farmers to postpone paddy harvesting for a few days.
Referring to the crop damage caused by recent rains, he said: “It’s painful to know that the unseasonal rains and hailstorms have damaged crops. The government will provide `10,000 compensation per acre to all the farmers whose crops were damaged. It doesn’t matter even if it becomes a burden on the State exchequer. The State government will also purchase the entire paddy. There is no need for farmers to get panicky over the issue.”
The officials, meanwhile, informed the CM that the paddy purchase was delayed at some places due to rains. The officials of the Civil Supplies department said that the process of purchasing paddy would be completed soon across the State.
“The agriculture sector is progressing at fast pace in the State. The Agriculture department too should keep pace with the developments. Stern action will be initiated if any official fails to update themselves,” Rao warned the officials.
KTR assures support
Meanwhile, MAUD Minister KT Rama Rao urged the farmers not to lose hope and said the government will extend support to them.
Rama Rao inspected the fields that were affected by rains in Gopalapalli, Guntapalli and Cheruvu thanda of Mustabad Mandal, as well as Veernapalli Mandal in Sircilla district.
The minister instilled confidence in the farmers, urging them to trust Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao. He further stated that all damaged grain would be purchased, and compensation of `10,000 per acre would be directly credited to the accounts of farmers.
Congress, BRS clash at paddy procurement centre
Karimnagar: The Congress and BRS workers clashed over a shortage of tarpaulins at a paddy procurement centre at Durshed in Karimnagar district on Tuesday. The incident occurred when the Congress workers reached the centre and submitted a memorandum to Civil Supplies Minister Gangula Kamalakar over the issue.
While they were explaining the problem to the minister, the BRS activists raised slogans, which irked the Congress workers. Later, the two groups pushed each other, leading to a minor scuffle. However, the minister and the police personnel who were on duty intervened and prevented the situation from getting out of hand.
Oppn demands Rs 50,000 per acre for crop loss
Nizamabad/ Kamareddy: The Congress, BJP, and CPI have demanded that the State government provide fair assistance to farmers who have suffered significant losses due to unseasonal rains and hailstorms in the Nizamabad and Kamareddy districts. They demanded that the government offer compensation of `50,000 per acre to the affected farmers.