The uncertainty over procurement of paddy produced in Telangana during the 2021-22 Kharif season, beyond 60 lakh tonnes already agreed upon by Food Corporation of India (FCI), continues even after a delegation of half-a-dozen Ministers and several MPs of Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) met Union Minister of Food and Public Distribution Piyush Goyal in New Delhi on Tuesday.
Apart from explaining the Union Minister about non-lifting of rice pertaining to the last (2020-21) Rabi season by the FCI — although the custom milled rice was ready with the millers — they also brought to his notice the misinformation being spread by State BJP leaders including Union Minister for Culture and Tourism G. Kishan Reddy.
The delegation has explained to Mr. Goyal about the letters written by the Civil Supplies Commissioner of Telangana and District Collectors to the FCI on lifting the Rabi rice to ease storage space with millers for Kharif procurement. It was again reiterated that there would be no parboiled rice procurement from this Rabi season.
Speaking to mediapersons after their meeting with Mr. Goyal, Minister for Agriculture S. Niranjan Reddy along with others said they had requested the Centre to give clarity whether it would procure paddy beyond 60 lakh tonnes already agreed upon, since more than half of the grain produced was yet to reach the procurement centres. They also wanted to know whether the State had to continue procurement centres or not.
On the FCI delay in lifting the rice pertaining to the last Rabi, Mr. Niranjan Reddy said it was the responsibility of the FCI to lift the milled rice from millers. He stated that Mr. Goyal had spoken to FCI authorities over the issue and was informed that there was shortage of railway rakes due to the brisk movement of fertilizers. In turn, Mr. Goyal had told them to speed up lifting rice milled in last Rabi.
Mr. Niranjan Reddy stated that the Union Minister had told them that it would take 1-2 days’ time to look into the matter and they have decided to stay put there and would return to Hyderabad only after meeting Mr. Goyal again after two days. They had reminded Mr. Goyal that he (Mr. Goyal) had been repeatedly stating that the FCI was ready to procure any quantity of raw rice and it was time the word was kept.
