The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) has demanded that the State government should procure all the paddy stocks lying with farmers in the state, within a week.
“A total of 140 lakh tonnes of paddy (of both Kharif and Rabi seasons) is available with farmers in the State, but so far, government has procured only 11 lakh tonnes. Middlemen have been completely exploiting the situation and looting the farmers,” the TDP pointed out.
A delegation of TDP legislators, led by Errabilli Dayakar Rao and Devineni Umamaheswara Rao, met Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy at his camp office today and submitted a petition giving details of paddy stocks lying unsold with farmers in different districts.
“Despite the tall claims made by the government, nothing is actually happening on the ground. Farmers are unable to sell their yield and get even the minimum support price (MSP). The government should immediately step up the procurement and complete the process in a week,” the TDP legislators demanded.
“We explained the grave crisis being faced by the farmers in different districts. We wanted his immediate intervention in resolving the crisis,” they said.
Meanwhile, State Civil Supplies Commissioner Harpreet Singh said that both, the State government and the Food Corporation of India, have so far procured 12,30,790 tonnes of paddy from farmers this season, as against 3,41,422 tonnes last year.
“Government agencies have opened a total of 1,385 paddy purchase centres in the State. Farmers can offer their paddy at the purchase centres to obtain MSP of Rs 1,030 per quintal for Grade A and Rs 1,000 per quintal for common variety,” Mr. Singh said.
