HYDERABAD: Amidst the ongoing controversy over the alleged delay in procuring grains, the Civil Supplies department on Wednesday revealed it has so far purchased 30 lakh tonnes of paddy.
According to officials, Civil Supplies Commissioner M Stephen Raveendra released Rs 4,520 crore towards minimum support price (MSP) and deposited the amounts directly into the bank accounts of farmers without any delays.
“Farmers are bringing huge quantities of both fine and coarse grain varieties to the purchasing centres. The government has purchased nine lakh tonnes of fine variety (sannarakam) and 21 lakh tonnes of coarse variety (doddurakam) till date,” they said.
With procurement currently in its peak stage, a comprehensive network of 8,575 paddy purchase centres (PPCs) is actively operating across the state to handle the heavy inflow of paddy. This extensive grassroots infrastructure comprises 4,350 centres run by PACs, 3,563 by IKP and 662 operated by other supporting agencies.
To ensure smooth operations and fully safeguard the arriving produce, the department positioned 18.6 crore gunny bags and adequate tarpaulins across these centres, the official added in a press statement.
The department also said that to prevent any storage at the ground level and ensure PPCs are ready to receive new grains on a daily basis, the department is executing swift logistical operations.
A fleet of about 11,500 transport vehicles, comprising trucks, tractors and DCMs, has been deployed to shift the purchased paddy directly from the centres to rice mills.
The government also deputed special officers to both the PPCs and mills to oversee the loading and unloading processes, ensuring maximum efficiency and accountability.
To overcome the shortage of hamalis, and to manage heavy paddy arrivals and expedite purchases to protect the farmers’ interests, the government also issued orders enhancing the handling charges (hamali rates) at PPCs and godowns. The rates have been increased to Rs 17 per quintal.
It may be recalled that the Food Corporation of India (FCI) allocated 10 lakh tonnes of boiled rice target to Telangana for the Kharif Marketing Season 2025-2026.
The release said that the Civil Supplies department adopted three core principles: strong coordination, daily monitoring and rapid response for lifting the paddy.
The department, meanwhile, urged farmers and cultivators to dial toll-free number 1967 for any queries, concerns or requests for assistance.
