Hyderabad: The Telangana government has transferred ₹1,173 crore directly into the bank accounts of nearly one lakh maize farmers as part of its large-scale procurement drive, agriculture minister Tummala Nageswara Rao said on Wednesday. This transfer is among the largest direct benefit payments linked to crop procurement in the state.
The minister stated that the government has already spent ₹3,757 crore on procurement operations this season, describing it as Telangana's biggest maize procurement exercise since the state's formation. He highlighted that the Yasangi season witnessed a historic surge in maize cultivation, with the crop being grown on nearly 16 lakh acres across Telangana — the highest-ever area brought under maize cultivation in the state's history.
Tummala said the government ensured that maize growers received the minimum support price, helping strengthen farmer confidence and preventing distress sales in the market. To facilitate procurement, the state set up 338 maize procurement centres across the state. So far, about 13.42 lakh metric tonnes of maize have been procured from nearly 2.42 lakh farmers through these centres, he added.
The minister noted that the government adopted a proactive approach to protect farmers at a time when several states had scaled back maize procurement. He also remarked that the Centre had not actively supported maize procurement during the current season.
