TS: Govt asks ryots not to cultivate paddy in rabi

Hyderabad: Telangana Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar on Saturday said that there will be no paddy cultivation in season.

He said that the Government of India and Food Corporation of India (FCI) have decided not to procure parboiled rice from Telangana at all. However, Paddy grown in Telangana in the Yasangi season is suitable only for parboiled rice due to seasonal conditions. Therefore, it is pertinent that Farmers should not take up paddy cultivation in Yasangi.

However, Farmers who have tie-up with seed companies, tie-up with millers or for self-consumption can take up paddy at their own risk. The Collectors were directed to ensure that paddy procurement should happen smoothly. The Collectors were authorized to open new paddy procurement centers (PPCs) if required.

Collectors and Senior Officers should visit the PPCs on a regular basis to resolve issues if any. Certain instances of outside state paddy coming to PPCs have been noticed. The Collectors and SPs/CPs were directed to ensure that no outside paddy is taken in the Telangana PPCs. It will act against the interest of Telangana farmers.

On the directions of Chief Minister K.Chandrashekar Rao, a Video Conference was conducted by Chief Secretary along with DGP M.Mahender Reddy with all the Collectors, SPs, CPs, Additional Collectors, District Agriculture Officers, District Supply Officers on Paddy procurement from BRKR Bhavan on Saturday.

It is known that the Government of India has allotted only 40 lakh MTs of rice as target for procurement of Vanakalam 2021. The District Collectors were also directed to speed up milling of paddy to rice. It is important to convert paddy into rice and dispatch it so that there is no shortage of space for new procurement.

On Friday, the Centre said it will procure 40 lakh tonnes of Kharif rice and reiterated that it would not purchase paddy from Telangana during Rabi season. It asked Telangana not to sow paddy during Rabi season.

Talks were held between the Union minister for food and public distribution system Piyush Goyal and the Telangana delegation comprising ministers S. Niranjan Reddy, Errabelli Dayakar Rao, Ch. Malla Reddy, chief secretary Somesh Kumar and senior officials of agriculture and civil supplies departments.

The state government asked the Centre to procure paddy from Telangana during Rabi season and asked the Centre to declare the annual paddy procurement target. The Centre rejected both these demands and categorically stated that it would not purchase paddy from Telangana. It said it was also not possible to declare the annual paddy procurement target in advance.

Piyush Goyal asked the state government to tell farmers not to sow paddy during Rabi season henceforth as the Food Corporation of India will not purchase it.