State government will lift excess red gram: T Harish Rao

Hyderabad: The TS government is getting ready to purchase “Kandi papu” (red gram) from farmers following a glut in the market due to bumper yield this year. Marketing minister T. Harish Rao, who is personally supervising the red gram issue, promised that the government would buy crop “till the last grain” and has opened 90 centres across the state. “Farmers need not worry about purchase of red gram. The government will buy till the last grain. For the first time in the country, the state purchased 7, 48,213 lakh quintals of red gram so far and paid Rs 220 crore to farmers. The balance will be paid within a week,” he said.

Mr Harish Rao said there was glut in red gram production even in other states and Telangana was no exception. “We will stand by red gram and other farmers,” he said. The Centre has fixed MSP of Rs 5,050 per quintal for red gram while middlemen are offering farmers Rs 4,000-odd. Due to purchase of red gram by Central agencies, farmers are now avoiding middlemen. Mr Harish Rao, who discussed the red gram issue with officials, instructed them to ensure purchase the crop brought by farmers and ensure quick payment.

So far, government has purchased 4,94,490 quintals through NAFED, 2,53,723 quintals through FCI and other government agencies, altogether worth Rs 377.85 crore. In view of shortage of gunny bags, the minister spoke to Civil Supplies commissioner C.V. Anand who provided six lakh-odd bags to NAFED. As against cultivation of red gram on 2.47 lakh hectares in the past, the sown area shot up to 4.35 lakh hectares, resulting in over production.

Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat and other states too witnessed huge production. “We are tracking the red gram issue and have introduced a call centre for farmers in distress. We got 305 distress calls and have acted on them,” Mr Harish Rao said. According to him, the Centre fixing the price has had a serious affect on TS farmers. Besides, the Centre’s decision to import one lakh tonnes in 2016-2017, two lakh tonnes in another two years and other exports and imports from Mozambique, Tanzania, Malawi and Myanmar has hit TS farmers, Mr Harish Rao alleged.