TDP seeks CBI probe into surge in rice exports

Vijayawada: TDP Tuesday asked the state government as to how there is a steep rise in rice exports from the Kakinada port though the paddy production in the state has gone down drastically in the past couple of years.

Party national spokesman Kommareddy Pattabhiram told media persons here on Tuesday that in 2018-19 the paddy production in the state was 82.30 lakh tonne and it came down to 78.90 lakh tonne in 2020-21. The rice exports in 2018-19 were 18 lakh tonne and in 2020-21 the exports rose to 31.51 lakh tonne and by 2021-22 the exports went up remarkably to 48.26 lakh tonne. How there is such sudden growth in the export of rice, he asked.

The reports from the Centre clearly mentioned that there is no growth in the paddy cultivation in Andhra Pradesh in the past couple of years, Pattabhiram pointed out and asked when this is the reality how the exports have shot up so high. This clearly indicates that the ration rice is being diverted and the stocks are being exported to foreign countries, the TDP leader said.

Pattabhiram said that the state government has said that 82.75 lakh tonne of rice was procured in 2020-21 while the Central reports said that the production in the same year was only 78.90 lakh tonne. This means that something went wrong somewhere, he said and demanded that only a probe by the Centre Bureau Investigation (CBI) will bring facts to light. The TDP national spokesman alleged that there is a biggest rice mafia in the state and the CBI should investigate it to bring the culprits to book. Pattabhiram made it clear that the TDP will continue its fight till the facts come to light and till the culprits are taken into custody.