Govt will procure even rain-soaked paddy: Uttam

Hyderabad: Civil supplies minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy has said govt will procure soaked paddy by paying minimum support price (MSP) and asserted that the state was executing one of the largest paddy procurement operations in the country, with nearly 58 lakh metric tonne (LMT) of paddy already purchased and another 17-18 MT expected to add up to the final procurement figures.Accompanied by ministers Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy and D Sridhar Babu, Uttam Kumar Reddy inspected the ongoing procurement process in Peddapalli, Yadadri Bhuvanagiri and Warangal districts. He also inspected godowns at different market yards.“Farmers will not be let down under any circumstances. The Congress govt is a farmer-friendly one, stands firmly with the farming community and is committed to procuring every grain reaching the procurement centres,” Uttam Kumar Reddy said, while reviewing procurement operations with district collectors and senior officials at Peddapalli, Hanumakonda and Bhongir.The minister stated that the state had already disbursed nearly Rs 11,000 crore directly into farmers’ bank accounts, with payments being processed within 48 hours of procurement in most cases. Telangana was witnessing massive arrivals due to record paddy production coupled with weather-related urgency among farmers to move stocks quickly.He said the govt had paid Rs 16,479 crore since Dec 2023 to paddy farmers over and above MSP-related remittances, reflecting what he described as the administration’s unwavering commitment to agriculture and rural incomes. The minister said the present govt’s procurement and payment operations were “manifold higher” than previous exercises and had fundamentally strengthened farmer confidence across Telangana.In view of unseasonal rains, Uttam Kumar Reddy ordered the officials to intensify lifting operations and ensure uninterrupted transportation of procured paddy from centres to rice mills and the operations must be completed ahead of the onset of monsoon. He directed that every available transport vehicle, including lorries, DCMs, trucks and tractors, be deployed for the movement of farmer produce, mainly paddy, over the next four to five days to prevent accumulation and exposure to rain.