The State government has to pay over ₹320 crore to farmers towards paddy which was procured from them during the kharif-2021-22 in East Godavari district.
During the year, the government procured above 6.18 lakh tonnes of paddy from 1.17 lakh farmers in the district. The total worth of paddy procured is ₹1,200 crore. However, it has paid ₹880 crore till date.
The delay in clearing the pending amount would further impact the rabi operations in the district, where paddy is sown in over 1.68 lakh hectares in the rabi season.
Civil Supplies Department District Manager E. Lakshmi Reddy said the farmers would be paid the pending amount to speed up the pending paddy procurement. The paddy procurement is still in progress.
The farmers under various banners had been demanding that the State government release the pending amount without delay. The tenant farmers are the most affected due to the delay in payment.
Fertilizer supply
Above 5,200 tonnes of Urea and 1,000 tonnes of DAP have arrived in the district on Wednesday. The total requirement of fertilizers during rabi season is 2.14 lakh tonnes, and about 85,000 tonnes of fertilizers had been supplied to paddy farmers in the rabi-2022.
By Wednesday, 4,900 tonnes of fertilizer was available apart from the new arrival of 6,200 tonnes, according to Joint Director (Agriculture-East Godavari) N. Vijay Kumar.
“The fertilizers will be made available with the private dealers and Rythu Bharosa Kendras and cooperative societies. The farmers could register grievances and complaints if any private dealers demand extra price against the prescribed rates on the grounds of the scarcity of fertilizers”, said Mr. Vijay Kumar.
