Telangana: Officials Hunt for Space To Store Procured Paddy, Jowar
The shortage has intensified amid increased crop yields over the past two years and a rise in cultivation of fine-quality rice following the state government’s announcement of a Rs 500 bonus per quintal.
Adilabad: Officials in the erstwhile Adilabad district are facing acute storage constraints following large-scale procurement of paddy and jowar, with inadequate godown space to stock the produce.
With the onset of the rainy season, officials are shifting paddy from procurement centres to safer locations to prevent damage. As part of contingency measures, they are exploring the use of private function halls, which are currently vacant after the marriage season, along with private godowns, Rythu Vedikalu, ginning mills and rice mills for temporary storage.
The shortage has intensified amid increased crop yields over the past two years and a rise in cultivation of fine-quality rice following the state government’s announcement of a Rs 500 bonus per quintal.
Separately, Telangana State Warehousing Corporation chairman Rayala Nageshwar Rao and Peddapalli MLA and Government Whip Vijaya Ramana Rao on Monday laid the foundation stone for a godown with a capacity of 20,000 metric tonnes at Lalapalli village in Eligaid mandal of Peddapalli district, at a cost of Rs 15 crore.
Farmer distress was reported in Chennur and Jainoor, where paddy growers staged protests alleging delays in procurement and unloading at rice mills after produce was shifted from procurement centres.
Nirmal collector Bhavesh Mishra said alternative storage spaces had been identified, including private function halls, godowns, rice mills, ginning mills and Rythu Vedikalu, to stock paddy and jowar.
Rayala Nageshwar Rao said the demand for additional storage had increased with higher crop yields and that the corporation was expanding capacity in response. He said construction of 35 godowns was under way, while sites had been sanctioned for 15 more.
He said the government had added five lakh metric tonnes of storage capacity over the past two years, in addition to the existing capacity of five lakh tonnes. The Lalapalli godown would be completed at the earliest to serve local farmers, he added.
