9 hours Ago By DC Correspondent
Hyderabad:�The Telangana Government is prepared to spend over Rs 15,000 crore to ensure smooth and timely paddy procurement during the current Rabi season. Irrigation and Civil Supplies Minister Capt. N Uttam Kumar Reddy and Agriculture Minister Tummala Nageshwar Rao held a high-level video conference with District Collectors on Wednesday, terming the paddy procurement initiative as the most sensitive and high-priority operation of the state government over the next 15 to 20 days.
With a record 54.89 lakh acres under Rabi cultivation and an estimated output of 127 lakh metric tonnes (LMTs), the government has set a target of procuring 70 LMTs of paddy through a vast network of 8,381 procurement centres across the state. The review meeting, hosted from the Civil Supplies Department headquarters in Hyderabad, focused on monitoring procurement progress, tackling field-level challenges, and ensuring quick response to weather-related issues.
Principal Secretary and Civil Supplies Commissioner D.S. Chauhan coordinated the discussions.
Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy emphasized that prompt, transparent, and dignified procurement is essential. “This is not just a procurement drive—it reflects the government’s commitment to our farmers and our credibility. If any issue arises, contact the Commissioner or me directly,” he said.
He assured that over ₹15,000 crore has been earmarked to cover MSP payments and bonuses, with a 48-hour payment window following data uploads from procurement centres. As of April 29, 23 LMTs of paddy had arrived, with 19.60 LMTs already procured from around 2.
55 lakh farmers. Payments of ₹2,289.81 crore have been made so far, with the remaining ₹4,545.
72 crore in process. A ₹444.20 crore bonus is also being prepared.
To prevent spoilage due to weather, the government is issuing daily rainfall alerts at the PPC level, distributing ORS sachets at centres, and advising farmers to use available sheds during heatwaves. The Minister also directed quick evacuation of procured paddy to mills to prevent backlogs, with priority given to direct mill transfers over godown storage. He instructed Collectors to coordinate with local SPs and RTOs to arrange transport, manage labour locally, and ensure proper use of harvesting machinery to maintain quality.
Gunny bags—13.71 crore in stock, with another 3.79 crore en route—are to be issued only after moisture verification at PPCs.
The Minister lauded the proactive measures taken by some districts, such as purchasing dryers to improve grain quality, and urged wider adoption. He stressed that all procurement must strictly follow FAQ (Fair Average Quality) norms to safeguard both farmers’ and government interests. The meeting also covered the ongoing distribution of free fine rice through the Public Distribution System.
Uttam Kumar Reddy urged strict adherence to cooking quality guidelines and asked Collectors to accelerate ration card verification to onboard eligible beneficiaries without delay. Currently, 1,579 rice mills are participating in the Custom Milling Rice (CMR) programme, with over 45 LMTs of paddy already allocated. Surplus stock from high-yield districts is being redirected to nearby areas to optimise milling capacity.
The conference concluded with detailed one-on-one reviews between the Civil Supplies Commissioner and Collectors. Minister Reddy reiterated that the goal was not just quantity but speed, transparency, and dignity. “Let Telangana set the national benchmark in paddy procurement,” he said.
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