Telangana Government Assures Farmers Over Wet Paddy Procurement
The Telangana government has promised to purchase every grain of rain affected paddy, while accelerating transport to rice mills and assuring farmers not to panic over crop damage.
- Telangana government to buy wet paddy
- Paddy procurement continues across Telangana
- Farmers assured over rain damaged grain
The Telangana government has assured farmers that even rain soaked paddy will be purchased without delay, offering relief to thousands of cultivators affected by unexpected rainfall. State Irrigation and Civil Supplies Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy said farmers should not worry, as the government remains committed to procuring every grain brought to purchase centres.
Officials stated that large quantities of wet paddy are already being shifted to boiled rice mills for immediate processing. According to the minister, nearly 9,214 metric tonnes of rain damaged grain have been transported so far following unseasonal showers that affected several districts across the state.
A high level review meeting was conducted through video conference along with Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka, district collectors, police officials, and transport department authorities to monitor the ongoing procurement process. The minister said the government would not allow farmers to suffer losses due to weather related issues and instructed officials to speed up transportation and handling operations.
Uttam Kumar Reddy also highlighted that Telangana has undertaken paddy procurement on a record scale during the current Rabi season. He stated that the government aims to procure nearly 75 lakh metric tonnes of paddy, which he described as one of the biggest procurement drives in independent India.
Out of the 66.75 lakh metric tonnes of paddy that reached procurement centres so far, nearly 57 lakh metric tonnes have already been purchased. The government has reportedly paid more than Rs 10,097 crore to around 8.15 lakh farmers across the state.
The minister further explained that 44.67 lakh metric tonnes of the purchased stock belonged to common paddy varieties, while 12.33 lakh metric tonnes were fine quality grain. To ensure faster movement of paddy, even trucks usually used for sand transportation are being diverted for grain transport to rice mills.
He also criticised opposition parties for allegedly politicising the procurement process despite the government opening 8,575 procurement centres across Telangana to support farmers during the harvesting season.
