Uttam Kumar Reddy Directs Seamless Paddy Procurement

Telangana Civil Supplies Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy today directed officials to ensure a smooth and efficient paddy procurement process across the State.

In a video conference led by Principal Secretary (Consumer Affairs) and Civil Supplies Commissioner D S Chauhan, the minister urged meticulous planning as large quantities of paddy had begun to arrive at the procurement centres.

Reddy said that the season's paddy harvest was expected to reach 150 lakh metric tonnes, valued at Rs 30,000 crore, and that the State government had allocated Rs 20,000 crore for the amount of the harvest that would be procured, with provision for additional funds if required.

To facilitate cooperation from millers, the government has raised milling charges by Rs 40 for fine paddy and Rs 30 for coarse paddy per quintal. Millers with clean records must provide a 10% bank guarantee, while those with a history of defaults will need a 20% guarantee.

The minister instructed district Collectors to address procurement issues promptly by coordinating with the Civil Supplies Commissioner. He authorized them to make local decisions but keep the Commissioner informed to ensure smooth operations.

Government Advisor Shabbir Ali and MLAs Pocharam Srinivas Reddy, Sudardhan Reddy, Madan Mohan Rao and Anil Reddy had raised concerns about local procurement challenges. In response, Reddy urged the Collectors to intervene and, if any millers delayed pick-up, to store the paddy at intermediary godowns.

"The government has set up intermediary godowns with a storage capacity of 30 lakh metric tonnes to handle any contingencies. In case of delays, the relevant district Collectors should use the godowns managed by the State Warehousing Corporation or the agricultural marketing committees," Reddy said.

4,598 paddy procurement centres are currently operational in Telangana. Reddy instructed officials to open all 7,572 centres immediately, and to set up additional ones if needed.

To prevent paddy or rice from other States entering Telangana, Reddy said that the borders would be closely monitored, to ensure that the Rs 500 bonus benefited only Telangana farmers. He also directed that all the Paddy Procurement Centres (PPCs) be equipped with the necessary infrastructure to protect the procured paddy from unseasonal rains.

"We are authorizing the district Collectors to take immediate and decisive action. The government will cover the expenses if necessary. Our aim is to safeguard the farmers' produce from delays or adverse weather," he added.