Cong in T"gana begins two-day protest demanding immediate paddy procurement from farmers

  • | Saturday | 27th November, 2021

Hyderabad, Nov 27 (PTI) With the ruling TRS and BJP continuing to engage in a war of words over paddy procurement in the state, the Congress in Telangana on Saturday began a two-day protest here, demanding that the state and Central governments procure paddy immediately to provide relief to farmers. State Congress president and MP A Revanth Reddy, other party MPs from Telangana N Uttam Kumar Reddy and Komatireddy Venkata Reddy, along with senior party leaders, participated in the "Vari Deeksha" (paddy protest). "Started two days #VariDeeksha at DharnaChowk today demanding the Central and state governments to procure paddy immediately and give relief to the dying farmers "Farmers lives matter to us all," Revanth Reddy tweeted. Their demands include immediate purchase of paddy presently lying in the fields, purchase of wet paddy (due to rains) for Minium Support Price, providing compensation to farmers for paddy which started sprouting due to rains and announcement of the government"s stance over summer crop, the PCC president said. The TRS government has been demanding that the Centre announce the annual target for paddy procurement from Telangana. Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, along with cabinet colleagues, has recently held a dharna here over the issue. State Agriculture Minister S Niranjan Reddy and other state ministers, who met Union Minister for Food and Public Distribution Piyush Goyal in Delhi on Friday night over the issue, expressed "disappointment" over the meeting. The Centre was not ready to buy paddy in the summer crop season and the Union Minister stated that it was impossible to convey the annual target, Niranjan Reddy said in a release. A spokesperson of the Centre"s Department of Food and Public Distribution said all paddy procurements in Telangana are continuing. The procurement would continue to take place as before, at existing MSP, as per the MoU signed between the Telangana government and FCI (Food Corporation of India), an official release quoted the spokesperson as saying. Meanwhile, state Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar, who held a video conference with Collectors and other district officials today, said farmers should not take up paddy cultivation in the "yasangi" summer crop season as the Centre and FCI have decided not to procure parboiled rice from Telangana. The paddy grown in the state in the summer crop season is suitable only for parboiled rice due to seasonal conditions, a state government release said. Farmers who have tie-ups with seed companies and millers, besides for self-consumption, can take up paddy cultivation, it said. The Collectors were directed to ensure that paddy procurement is smooth and also to not allow paddy from other states to reach procurement centres in Telangana as it would go against the interests of farmers of the state, it said. Union Tourism Minister G Kishan Reddy, who addressed the BJP"s state executive meeting here on Saturday, said the Centre would procure paddy from the state as per the agreement between the state government and Central agencies. PTI SJR APR APR


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