KCR comes to rescue of maize farmers

Hyderabad: The Telangana Government has come to the rescue of maize farmers during the crisis time. Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao announced that the Government would purchase the maize crop from the farmers by providing the minimum support price of Rs 1,850 per quintal through Markfed. Addressing a high-level meeting with officials of Agriculture department, KCR is said to have remarked that despite the Government's repeated plea to the farmers to give up maize cultivation during Kharif season, farmers had cultivated the commercial crop in some districts like Khammam, Adilabad and Medak.

The chief minister said that though the farmers had gone against the advice of the government and there was no compulsion that it should be bought, but the government has decided to buy corn to see that the farmers should not suffer.

During last summer, the government through the Markfed purchased 9 lakh tonnes of maize and spent Rs 1,668 crore. Since the purchased farm produce did not get any price in the open market, it was auctioned in the open auction.

The Government could earn only Rs 823 crore. As a result Markfed incurred Rs 845 crore losses.

Keeping these facts in mind, the state government has urged farmers not to go in for the maize cultivation in the rainy season. It suggested maize could be cultivated as multiple crop along with turmeric in Nizamabad, Nirmal, Jagtial and Mahabubabad and other districts. Some farmers did not pay heed to the advice given by the government and agriculture officers and cultivated the maize.

However, he also made it clear that if the farmers ignored the advice during Rabi season, the government will not take any responsibility. The government will not purchase corn cultivated in the summer season, the CM made it clear.

The Chief Minister held BJP-led Union government for the steep fall in maize prices in the market. The Centre has reduced the import duty on the corn from 50 per cent to 15 per cent which directly led to crash in the price of corn, he added.