Uttam Calls For Foolproof Paddy Procurement Plan
"Officials at the field level must remain vigilant. No farmer should be made to wait for hours at procurement centres. Basic amenities such as water, shelter and sanitation must be ensured at every location”: Irrigation minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy
HYDERABAD: As part of paddy procurement preparedness, the district collectors were alerted to make fail-safe plans for the logistics and storage by irrigation minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, for this Kharif season. He along with agriculture minister Tummala Nageswara Rao reviewed and directed the officials to ensure seamless coordination across various departments.
The ministers chairing a video conference with district collectors on Kharif paddy procurement preparedness at the Secretariat instructed collectors to treat paddy procurement as a mission-mode operation and ensure that farmers face no hardships.
“Officials at the field level must remain vigilant. No farmer should be made to wait for hours at procurement centres. Basic amenities such as water, shelter and sanitation must be ensured at every location,” Uttam said.
The minister emphasised the need for meticulous infrastructure planning. As of mid-October, 8,342 paddy procurement centres (PPCs) have been sanctioned across the state, including 4,259 through Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies (PACS), 3,517 through IKP groups and 566 by other agencies.
He said that 1,205 centres have already started operations in major paddy-growing districts such as Kamareddy, Nizamabad, Medak, Siddipet and Nalgonda. Each PPC will be provided with calibrated weighing scales, moisture meters, paddy cleaners, tarpaulins, dryers and digital calipers and district collectors have been asked to address any shortfall immediately. “Collectors must personally supervise arrangements and make additional spending where necessary without delay. If there is an urgent requirement for infrastructure, you are authorised to go ahead. The government will issue post-facto approvals,” Uttam Kumar Reddy assured.
Praising the performance of district administrations in the previous Rabi season, Tummala urged the officials to build upon those results. “Despite several challenges over the past two years, Telangana has successfully executed massive procurement operations. The departments of agriculture, cooperation and civil supplies have worked in unison. This time, the operation must be even smoother and faster,” he said.
