Hyderabad: Civil supplies minister Uttam Kumar Reddy on Friday said that logistics are in place to procure up to 90 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of paddy and directed the officials to accelerate minimum support price (MSP) operations and streamline logistics to ensure hassle-free procurement from farmers across the state.
Review meeting and mission mode approach
At a review meeting held at the secretariat, he emphasised the need to shift into "mission mode" to avoid delays and ensure farmer-friendly operations during the peak arrival period. Stating that paddy arrivals have begun to pick up in about 20 districts, he said procurement is yet to commence in 13 districts where sowing operations were delayed. Officials were asked to gear up in advance to handle the expected surge in arrivals.
Procurement centres and progress
"Over 5,000 procurement centres have already been opened, with plans to operationalise another 3,500-plus centres shortly. So far, 4.8 LMT of paddy has been procured," Uttam said. To address storage needs, intermediary storage space for 12 LMT has been identified, while district-wise allocation has been made for 20 LMT of boiled rice paddy. He also noted that around 16 crore gunny bags have been positioned to meet daily procurement requirements.
Infrastructure and manpower
Uttam directed officials to ensure that paddy cleaners and dryers are deployed at most procurement centres to tackle moisture-related issues. Stressing the importance of seamless operations, he called for adequate manpower deployment to prevent shortages of labour and gunny bags, and to avoid delays in quality testing and weighment. The minister further instructed that transport arrangements be strengthened to ensure the timely lifting of procured paddy from centres.
Monitoring and coordination
He also called for tighter monitoring at interstate check posts to prevent the inflow of paddy from neighbouring states into Telangana procurement centres. Emphasising the need for close coordination, Uttam asked officials from civil supplies, marketing and district administrations to work in tandem. He also stressed that farmers must receive payments without delay.
Ensuring smooth rabi season
Reviewing the factors contributing to uneven procurement progress across districts, the minister made it clear that all efforts must be directed towards ensuring there are no backlogs and that the procurement process remains smooth throughout the rabi season.
