The Central Government has agreed to extend the date for collection of custom milled rice levy of the last (2019-20) Yasagni/Rabi season by the Food Corporation of India (FCI) till February-end this year following a requested by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao.
In a statement issued here on Saturday, Minister for Civil Supplies Gangula Kamalakar said against handing over 43 lakh tonnes of custom milled rice (CMR) to the FCI by December-end, the rice millers could give only 37 lakh tonnes till that time.
As the FCI authorities have been delaying the decision on extending the date for collection of CMR for the last Yasangi season, the Chief Minister had taken the matter to the Centre’s notice and got it resolved.
The Minister asked the rice millers in the State to complete handing over of the remaining 6 lakh tonnes of CMR for the last Yasangi season by the time extended by the Centre now.
Stating that Chief Minister’s vision had helped the cultivation of paddy and production of rice in the State in higher extent every year, the Minister said the procurement of paddy for the 2020-21 Vanakalam (Kharif) season is nearing end.
Of the 6,505 purchase centres opened for the purpose, 6,139 had already been closed and the purchases are still going on in the remaining 366 procurement centres, he said.
Mr. Kamalakar explained that a total of 48.42 lakh tonnes of paddy worth ₹9,136 crore had been purchased from about 10.92 lakh farmers. Of the purchased produce, 28.2 lakh tonnes belonged to common grade (variety) and 20.22 lakh tonnes was of superfine (‘sannalu’) varieties at minimum support price.
An amount of ₹8,696 had already been credited to the bank accounts of farmers.
