The absence of the minimum support price (MSP) for paddy during the last rabi season had its cascading effect on the transplantations during the current kharif season in the rice-rich East Godavari and West Godavari districts. Most of the farmers are looking for finances to meet the input costs, as it proved to be difficult for them to meet both the ends from the meagre sums they earned by selling their produce in the last crop season. As a result, paddy transplantation is moving at a snail’s pace in both the districts.
Paddy had been transplanted in about four lakh acres each in the East and West Godavari districts and the yield had been about 12.5 lakh metric tonnes and 12 lakh metric tonnes, respectively. The State government fixed the MSP at ₹1,192.5 for a 75kg bag of A-grade variety and ₹1,162.5 for the ‘Common’ variety, besides setting up paddy procurement centres to ensure that the prices were honoured.
“The untimely rain at the fag end of the rabi season had spoiled the paddy market. Branding the grain as ‘discoloured’ and less or more moist, millers and traders ruled the roost, whereas the officials remained mute spectators,” says M. Rajasekhar, secretary of the A.P. Koulu Rythula Sangham’s East Godavari district unit. “Till last year, paddy procurement centres used to remit the amounts against purchase of the grain directly into the bank accounts of farmers. Absence of the practice has paved the way for irregularities, including custom milling of paddy from neighbouring districts and States,” he alleges.
‘Official-miller nexus’
The same is the situation in West Godavari district, where the official statistics indicate procurement of nine lakh metric tonnes of paddy through procurement centres. “A thorough inquiry has to be ordered into the reported irregularities in paddy procurement. The nexus between paddy procurement centres and rice millers has resulted in a price drop. When it comes to farmers, lowering of prices has been forced by citing either abnormal moisture levels or colour of the grain,” points out K. Srinivas, secretary of the A.P. Pradesh Rythu Sangham’s West Godavari district unit.
“Even as the water release into the irrigation canals has been scheduled for June 1, it has taken about 10 days for the water to reach the tail-end areas. In the absence of cash in hand and reluctance of banks to release crop loans, small and marginal farmers are not in a position to go for paddy transplantation,” says K. Trinadha Reddy, YSRCP farmers’ leader.
