Minister Eatala Rajender's prod to keep tainted rice millers at bay

​Hyderabad: Caretaker Finance and Civil Supplies Minister Eatala Rajender on Saturday directed the officials concerned not to supply procured farm produce to rice millers, who were facing cases of irregularities. The caretaker Minister held a review meeting on the preparedness of Kharif procurement of farm produce with the Joint Collectors and other officials, including Civil Supplies Commissioner Akun Sabharwal and others here.

Speaking on the occasion, Rajender asked the officials to avoid distributing the procured stocks to tainted rice millers and expedite the process of procuring the produce. “Let the farmers sell their produce for MSP and the payment of the procured produce should be paid immediately into their accounts”, he said. He also said the completion of the irrigation projects and Mission Kakatiya scheme has augmented the cultivation and farm production this time in a significant manner.

Keeping the rising farm produce this Kharif, the officials should make all arrangements for procuring complete produce from the farming community in all districts. “We have already provided minimum support price (MSP) to the procured produce and see that the Joint Collectors do the same in future too, he said. Since the farmers are with hope that they will get MSP for their produce, necessary arrangements have to be made in advance, Rajender said.

Eatala Rajender said they have set up 3,140 purchase centres to procure 34 lakh metric tonnes of farm produce. In future, the department will get 70 lakh metric tonnes of produce, he added. He said that the 3,140 purchase centres be equipped with necessary machinery, material, workers to procure the same. “There shall not be any sort of delay in procuring the farm produce and payment of the amount to the farmers”, he said. He also warned of serious measures if the officials neglected to procure the produce showing lame ducks.