HYDERABAD: Irrigation & Civil Supplies Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Friday stated that the ongoing paddy procurement has crossed 50 lakh metric tonnes (LMT). Paddy procured during the corresponding period in 2023, when the BRS was in power, was 25.35 LMT, he said.
The minister held a review meeting with district collectors and other officials at the Secretariat virtually.
Ministers Thummala Nageswara Rao, Komatireddy Venkat Reddy and Ponnam Prabhakar also joined the video conference.
After the meeting, Uttam posted on X: “I am happy to announce that we have now crossed 50 LMT of paddy procurement in Yasangi (Rabi) season. On the same day, 15 May 2023, during the previous regime, the total paddy procurement in Yasangi was 25.35 LMT.”
During the review meeting, comparative data was presented to underscore the scale of improvement over the previous years.
After analysing the figures, the minister pointed out that in the Rabi 2022–23 season, paddy procurement stood at 25.35 LMT, which increased to 32.93 LMT in Rabi 2023–24. “This year, in the ongoing Rabi 2024–25 season, procurement has reached 49.53 LMT by mid-May, a historic high and a clear reflection of the Congress government’s commitment to farmers,” he said and pointed out that lower procurement levels and inadequate infrastructure had caused operational delays and dissatisfaction among farmers in Rabi 2022–23.
He attributed increased procurement this year to early planning, enhanced logistics and coordination across departments. This helped in overcoming previous bottlenecks, including poor transport availability, low rice mill participation and storage issues, he added.
Referring to the untimely rains affecting the harvest, the minister reiterated that the government would also procure moisture-laden paddy. He assured farmers that even if their crops have been soaked by recent unseasonal rains, the government will procure the damaged paddy to prevent distress sales.
He directed district collectors to maintain strict ground-level monitoring and immediately identify and address any logistical or administrative gaps. He asked the officials to be on high alert to facilitate uninterrupted operations until the completion of the ongoing procurement process.
The minister also cautioned against the spread of misinformation regarding the procurement process. He stated that there was a deliberate attempt to malign the system and mislead farmers. He instructed the district collectors to actively counter such false narratives and instil confidence among the farming community.