The State Civil Supplies Department has informed that it has procured 77.41 lakh metric tonnes of paddy, which was 23.43 lakh tonnes more than previous year, from 14.73 lakh farmers during kharif and rabi seasons of 2018-19.
Setting a record, the department had credited ₹13,673 crore into the accounts of the farmers directly, paying a minimum support price of ₹1,510 a quintal for Grade A variety and ₹1,470 for common variety. The department had procured 40.41 LMT of paddy from 8.08 lakh farmers through 3,297 procurement centres during the kharif season while the procurement was 37 LMT from 6.6 lakh farmers through 3,509 procurement centres during rabi. In the previous year (2017-18), the procurement was 53.98 LMT and payment ₹ 8565.15 crore to farmers. Telangana stood next only to Punjab in the procurement, a release of the department said.
Many initiatives
Civil Supplies Minister S. Niranjan Reddy said several initiatives, including the online procurement management system enabling farmers to know about their nearest procurement centres through SMS, were introduced by the Department.
The spree of farmers welfare measures launched in the State ensured that farmers did not face any difficulty in the procurement process and were able to secure the minimum support price for their produce.
Civil Supplies Corporation Chairman M. Srinivas Reddy said the corporation took steps to ensure effective coordination between the departments concerned while the district collectors were involved directly and indirectly to make the procurement process successful.
Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao’s assurance on providing funds for payment to farmers made the process all the more easy.
