Rajamahendravaram: Rabi paddy procurement target set at 4.56 lakh MTs

Rajamahendravaram (East Godavari district): District Agriculture Officer (DAO) S Madhava Rao said that paddy collection during Rabi season should be carried out as per the schedule of the purchase in the prescribed manner.

The district has set a target of purchasing 4,55,845 metric tonnes during the Rabi season. Paddy purchase centres have been set up in 233 Rythu Bharosa Kendras (RBKs) in 18 mandals of the district and as many as 147 custom hiring mills have been linked to them. In this connection, technical training classes were conducted for the field-level staff on the collection of 2022-23 Rabi paddy at Venkateswara Anam Kala Kendram on Tuesday.

Speaking on the occasion, Madhava Rao said that the State government has taken up the purchase policy to collect paddy from the farmers in a transparent and accountable manner. 'Technology is being used to monitor everything from cutting to custom milling. The field-level staff should be prepared for the current Rabi season with the experience of paddy collection in Kharif season.' He said that comprehensive details are available on the web portal for a clear understanding of how much crop is harvested on which day and how much yield comes from which farmer to the RBK. Besides checking the arrival of paddy, the officers and staff should work in coordination to collect gunny bags in rotation and make them available to every farmer, the district agriculture officer stated.

District Civil Supplies Officer P Prasada Rao said that there is a schedule of how much paddy should be purchased from which farmer in each RBK, and accordingly, in case of non-collection of paddy, the officials should know to whom the crop has been sold and must record that data also.

District Cooperative Department Officer M Nagabhushanam and Assistant Civil Supplies Officer S Trinadh Rao also spoke on the occasion. Custodian officers, village revenue officers, Assistant Directors of Agriculture Department and mandal and village agriculture officers attended the training.