Unseasonal rains that lashed the State last month have not impacted the procurement price of paddy across various agricultural market yards.
Reports from the districts indicate that despite drastic reduction in paddy cultivation, the procurement price did not record downward trend.
In Warangal, the procurement price remained the same and farmers complain that they were unhappy with the existing price in the market. The fine grain commands Rs. 1,800 per quintal, while the coarse grain is being paid Rs. 1,010 per quintal.
Though there was no fall in the price, the farmers opine that it was not remunerative.
Paddy is sown in 60,000 hectares in Warangal district during rabi. As against this, in the last rabi season, paddy was cultivated only in 25,000 hectares.
In kharif, the normal extent of paddy is 1,31,000 hectares. However, owing to Indian Meteorological Department’s forecast that there could be 12 per cent reduction in monsoon rainfall, the extent of paddy cultivation in the ensuing kharif is likely to be very less.
Agricultural scientist R. Uma Reddy told The Hindu that the groundwater level was deeper than 11 metres as against the normal seven metres. “In Warangal district, 70 per cent of paddy is cultivated under bore-wells. There will be less rainfall and there’s no groundwater. Hence paddy cultivation is likely to be less than normal in kharif as well,” he explained.
A Nizamabad report said that paddy procurement price in the district has constantly been Rs. 1,310 per quintal in the current rabi season and the Marketing Federation alone purchased one lakh quintals at that rate so far. The government fixed only one rate in the rabi, but there used to be three rates – Rs. 1,310; Rs.1,230 and Rs. 1,180 per quintal – for different varieties in the kharif, according to Markfed Manager B. Rekha.
To benefit farmers, the government did not reduce the MSP though paddy in the district arrived in the market after the untimely rains. Other agencies like women SHGs and PACS also purchased paddy at the same rate.
In Medak district, there was not much of a problem in procuring paddy due to unseasonal rains as the government chipped in. The government has established a total of 126 procurement centres by Inidra Kranthi Patham (IKP) and Primary Agriculture Cooperative Societies (PACS) across the district and so far procured 40,890 metric tonnes against the target of 70,000 metric tonnes. The minimum support price (MSP) offered for general category is Rs. 1,360 per quintal and Rs. 1,400 per quintal for A grade, according to In-Charge District Supply Officer A. Ramesh.
Even farmers said that there was not much of a problem in selling the paddy unless the quality was worse. “Recently, one of the farmers tried to sell paddy laced with mud particles which was rejected at the procurement centres. Except such cases, there was no problem,” said K. Narasimha Rama Sharma, a farmer from Ismailkhanpet.
– Reporting by Gollapudi Srinivasa Rao (Warangal), P. Ram Mohan (Nizamabad) & R. Avadhani (Sangareddy)
