Kakinada: Graded MSP to be given to discoloured paddy

Kakinada: Graded Minimum Support Price (MSP) is being given to the discoloured paddy to help the farmers. Due to recent Nivar cyclone, the paddy has been damaged and discoloured. The farmers are worrying over selling of their paddy due to the discolouration.

Usually, the rice millers don't purchase the discoloured paddy with MSP and they purchase it at the lowest prices. As per the norms, the Civil Supplies Department is purchasing the paddy with below 5 percent of discoloration. But it is observed that plenty of quantities of paddy has become discoloration above five percent. Joint Collector Dr Lakshmisha assured the farmers that they need not worry about selling their discoloration of paddy as the government would purchase it with graded MSP.

He said that as of now, 45,000 metric tonnes of discoloured paddy has been identified and all the quantity of the paddy is being purchased. He said that for each one per cent of discoloration of paddy exceeded after five percent, five percent of price on the MSP will be deducted in purchasing the paddy. Paddy Purchasing Centres are purchasing the discoloration paddy up to 10 percent and the prices will be paid to them accordingly.

The rice millers usually purchase the discoloured paddy for boiled rice. East Godavari district is famous for milling the boiled rice in Rabi crop as it is being transported to Kerala where the people are consuming the boiled rice with high quantity. But for the past four to five years, Kerala state and Kerala rice traders have decreased the boiled rice orders from the district rice millers as the Kerala state and also the Tamil Nadu are encouraging the paddy which is meant for boiled rice.

According to sources, the prices of other states for boiled rice are lower than the AP prices. The boiled rice exports to Kerala are being dwindled. However, the rice millers are supplying the boiled rice to Kerala by attracting some of the traders.

The Joint Collector urged the rice millers to purchase the discoloured paddy from the farmers liberally by giving good prices as the farmers are in very pitiable condition as their crop in Khariff has been damaged and they incurred great losses. He also said that the PPCs are purchasing the paddy.