Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy has urged the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to consider the Andhra Pradesh government's plea to export 15-lakh metric tonnes of boiled rice and another 10-lakh metric tonnes of raw rice to other countries through normal trade channels.
This, the Chief Minister said during an interaction with the Prime Minister in New Delhi on Saturday, would allow rice millers to liquidate the stocks in their godowns and start brisk purchase of paddy from the farmers at minimum support price and more also.
He also appealed to the Prime Minister to enhance the MSP by another Rs.200 per quintal to help the farmers.
During his visit, he also called on the Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram.
Talking to reporters later, he said there is a quantum of jump in the production of rice during Rabi 2010-11 reaching 65.62 lakh MT against last year's production of 48.82 lakh MTs.
During the entire kharif marketing season (both kharif and rabi), the production of rice during the current year is 140.65 lakh MT against 108.35 MT last year.
The Chief Minister said that he has explained the Prime Minister about the godown space constraint and how the FCI was not in a position to accept the levy rice as offered by the rice millers in some major rice procuring districts.
Mr. Reddy once again requested the Prime Minister to declare Polavaram and Pranahitha-Chevella Irrigation projects as national projects.
He also said that the Polavaram Project aims to provide fresh irrigation to 7.2 lakh acres besides stabilizing 23 lakh acres of ayacut existing in Krishna and Godavari Deltas and producing power of 960 MWs.
The Chief Minister brought to the notice of Union Home Minister P. Chidamabaram about the four natural calamities that occurred in 2010 and requested to treat the four calamities as national calamity and to sanction Rs. 1,744 crore from NDRF.
Also requested to expedite the proposed amendments to the 14 (f) clause, he said.
