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No takers for fine quality rice
Adding more woes to their misery was the prevailing overcast conditions in the region - courtesy the low pressure caused by the Cyclone Vardah, which is threatening to spoil the crop in the fields.
Warangal: With the harvested paddy still in fields and no miller coming forward to purchase fine quality paddy, the fate of farmers appears to be in limbo.
Adding more woes to their misery was the prevailing overcast conditions in the region - courtesy the low pressure caused by the Cyclone Vardah, which is threatening to spoil the crop in the fields.
Despite a good harvest this season, farmers in the region continue to face problems. The farmers, who were already hit by the demonetisation effect, now face another hurdle with the millers turning their back to purchase the fine quality paddy.
The advent of new paddy culture varieties that withstand drought and give good yield has prompted the farmers to go for fine quality paddy cultivation. Compared to previous years, cultivation of fine quality paddy is increased by at least 15 per cent.
For its mid-day meals and welfare hostels’ requirement, the State government entered into a MoU with rice millers to procure 1.20 lakh metric tonnes of fine rice.
As per the MoU, millers had to procure fine quality paddy (BPT-5204, Sona Masuri and Vijaya Masuri) at Rs 1,800 per quintal from farmers.
The MoU also envisages millers to maintain proper data of the procurement in a bid to avoid dumping of low quality paddy from other States.
While the State government claims that it had made all arrangements for the procurement of paddy, there is a growing discontent among farmers in Bhupalpally, Khammam, Jogulamba and Nirmal districts with the millers not coming forward to purchase citing that it would spell doom for them.
Speaking to The Hans India, Telangana Civil Supplies Cchairman Peddi Sudarshan Reddy said: “Although the Centre’s support price is Rs 1,510 per quintal for A Grade paddy and Rs 1,470 per quintal for common variety, the State had told the rice millers to procure at Rs 1,800 per quintal of fine quality paddy to help the farmers.”
With an increase in fine quality paddy production in the State, rice millers in some places are not coming forward to purchase the produce at Rs 1,800 per quintal as per the MoU, he said.
Referring to the rain threat due to the low pressure caused by the Cyclone Vardah, Guduru Ravinder, a farmer from Kamalapuram mandal in Warangal Urban district, thanked the God for it did not rain on Wednesday as all the farmers’ produce was in the field. He said that millers were offering them just around Rs 1,500 a quintal.
Telangana Rythu Sangham State Joint Secretary Nunna Nageswara Rao said: “With the farmers having no option to sell their produce elsewhere, the responsibility is on the State to procure entire produce.”
Adepu Mahender
