Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader and former minister T. Harish Rao has requested Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy to procure entire sunflower estimated to be produced in the State this season at the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of ₹6,760 per quintal as against the plans to procure only 22.5% of the produce.
In a letter addressed to the Chief Minister on Monday, the BRS leader said Sunflower was cultivated in about 20,829 acres (22,101 acres according to the agriculture department authorities) in the combined Medak and Nizamabad districts this season and the production was estimated to be about 1,65,800 quintals. However, the Centre had agreed to procure only 37,300 quintals.
Mr. Rao stated that he had earlier addressed a letter to the government on February 22 stating that the farmers were not getting support price for their produce in the open market and in response, Minister for Agriculture Tummala Nageswara Rao has stated that the Government would procure the produce at MSP.
However, only the quantity fixed by the Centre was procured at MSP and the farming community was being forced to dispose of their produce at lower price than MSP in the market due to lack of intervention by the Government. He reminded the Congress Government that the previous BRS Government had procured entire produce at MSP by opening purchase centre by the Markfed and it was the responsibility of the present Government to procure the entire quantity to protect farmers’ interests.
The inability of the State Government to procure the produce beyond the quantity lifted by the Centre was forcing the farmers to sell their produce at ₹4,000 to ₹5,000 per quintal and requested the Chief Minister to come to the rescue of farmers.
