6,408 Paddy Purchase Centres This Summer: KCR

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao today said that the TRS government had decided to procure paddy from across the state during the summer season through 6,408 procurement centres.

Speaking at a high-level review meeting at the Pragati Bhavan with the officials of the agriculture, marketing and civil supplies departments, the CM explained that due to the rising incidence of Covid-19 in the state, it had been decided that paddy would be procured directly from the villages, like last year.

Ministers S Niranjan Reddy, Errabelli Dayakar Rao, Satyavathi Rathod, Civil Supplies Corporation Chairman M Srinivas Reddy, Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar, Principal Secretary to CM S Narsing Rao, Secretary Bhoopal Reddy, Principal Secretary (Finance) Ramakrishna Rao, Principal Secretary (Agriculture) Janardhan Reddy, Civil Supplies Commissioner Anil Kumar, and FCI General Manager Ashwini Gupta were among the officials who attended the meeting.

At the meeting, Principal Secretary (Finance) Ramakrishna Rao was instructed to make arrangements for the provision of a Rs 20,000 crore bank guarantee by Tuesday evening while CS Somesh Kumar was directed to conduct an "emergency videoconference" with all the Collectors regarding the setting up of the procurement centres.

The CM asked minister Niranjan Reddy to monitor the setting up of the centres and the ensuing procurement process as well. Officials were asked to keep 20 crore gunny bags ready at the procurement centres.

He also instructed Reddy and the CS to take the required steps to ensure that the farmers did not have to face any problems while selling their harvest. He emphasised that all purchases at the centres were to be made at the relevant Minimum Support Price.

KCR then asked the officials to inform the farmers that paddy with more than 17% moisture would not be accepted at the centres.

Further, Principal Secretary (Agriculture) Janardhan Reddy was asked to make arrangements for the procurement of cotton seeds so that farmers in the state could grow cotton in 75 to 80 lakh acres in the coming cropping season.