Paddy procurement during the ongoing 2020-21 rabi (yasangi) marketing season has surpassed the target of 80 lakh tonnes and has reached 82 lakh tonnes with another 3-4 lakh tonnes expected to arrive at the purchase centres.
Chairman of the Telangana State Civil Supplies Corporation M. Srinivas Reddy said here on Monday that they had crossed the target and the achievement was 101% already despite the adverse conditions, including the COVID-19 spread, lockdown and untimely rains, shortage of ‘hamalis’, lorries and drivers and disproportionate (lower) milling capacity.
Compared to the last rabi season the paddy purchases were already 20% higher, Mr. Reddy said adding that the 82 lakh tonnes produce of the staple food crop worth ₹16,000 crore was purchased from about 12.5 lakh farmers through 6,962 procurement centres. Of the purchased paddy, 78 lakh tonnes had already been moved to mills overcoming various problems, he noted.
High procurement
The procurement had crossed 100% in 19 districts, including Nalgonda, Nizamabad, Suryapet, Kamareddy, Karimnagar, Peddpalli, Warangal Rural, Mancherial, Nirmal, Sangareddy, Narayanpet, Jayashankar-Bhupalapally, Jogulamba-Gadwal, Rangareddy, Mahabubnagar, Rajanna-Sircilla, Siddipet, Medak and Jagtial.
Mr. Srinivas Reddy said another 3-4 lakh tonnes of paddy was expected to arrive at the purchase centres over the next few days and the corporation was planning to complete the procurement exercise at the earliest keeping in mind the arrival of monsoon season. He instructed the officials to shift the paddy purchased to mills immediately and upload the details on the online monitoring system.
On supply of free rice through public distribution system during June, the current month, the corporation Chairman said 8 lakh units (persons in food security cards) were supplied 40 lakh tonnes rice so far.
.png?w=600)
