An amount of ₹3,000 crore was credited to farmers’ bank accounts at one go on Friday in lieu of sale of paddy produced by them this (2022-23) rabi season at the procurement centres set up by different government agencies under the aegis of Telangana State Civil Supplies Corporation.
Minister for Civil Supplies Gangula Kamalakar said on Friday that 64.52 lakh tonnes of paddy worth ₹13,264 crore was procured from about 11 lakh farmers as on June 15. He stated that procurement operations would be closed completely by June 18 and the entire amount due to farmers would be paid to them by June 20.
However, District Collectors would have the discretion to continue procurement centres, based on the need, for a few more days. Of the total value of paddy procured as on June 15, transactions for ₹10,439 crore were entered in the online procurement management system (OPMS) and ₹9,168 crore, including ₹3,000 crore released on Friday, was paid to the farmers so far.
At 64.52 lakh tonnes, procurement of paddy in the rabi season was second highest this year (2022-23) after a record of 92.34 lakh tonnes procured in 2020-21. Paddy procurement was about 15 lakh tonnes higher compared to the last (eabi) year when it was 50.39 lakh tonnes.
Stating that Telangana was at the top in rabi paddy procurement in the country, the Minister said a total of 7,034 procurement centres were opened this season and 6,143 of them were closed after the completion of procurement in their purview. Procurement was completed in 18 districts already and it would be closed in the remaining districts on Sunday.
To protect the interests of farmers whose paddy harvesting was late, the District Collectors were told to continue the procurement centres for a few more days so that the farmers could dispose of their produce. The Minister stated that paddy was raised on nearly 56.85 lakh acres this (2022-23) rabi season.
He complimented the official machinery for their seamless work of procurement on one hand and taking measures to help farmers protect their harvested produce from untimely rains that lashed the State in April and May. The State Government had helped arrange necessary tarpaulin sheets, moisture measuring tools, weighing machines, paddy cleaners and other infrastructure.
The Minister also thanked ‘hamalis’ (labourers who shift gunny sacks filled with paddy from procurement centres to transport vehicles and off-load them at rice mills), cooperative societies, millers and officials for playing their role in the procurement exercise.
